Marked Effect
by unrealuniverse
Summary: A story which follows an unexpected first contact and the lives of the individuals it affects. A slow starter with many OC's. Chapters 1-13 updated 13/10/2013.
1. Chapter 1 : Arrangements

**Authors notes**

**It has now been 22 months since this story first emerged here on and time has taken its toll on someone of the earlier chapters. Chapters 1 to 35 are to be in the first group to get an update. These re-edited chapters provide greater story depth, provide some extra answers, fix some minor spelling oddities and should polish the grammar a little. I am not intending this to be the final edit made to all these chapters but this is more a thank you to everyone who has read, favourited and reviewed the story over the last 18 months.**

**I hope that you enjoy the improved journey through the story. Please do review or PM me to say why it does not if you feel dissatisfied.**

**unrealuniverse**

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><p><strong>Description.<strong>

This is a story of unexpected first contact and the ramifications of what such contact may be for Asari culture and the wider galactic community. The story will attempt to highlight new areas that are not shown in the Mass Effect games and try to provide a broader depth to the Mass Effect universe.

This is a fanfic set 166 years before the events of ME1 and so the vast majority of characters from the games are not alive at this time. Most of the characters are original although there will be one or two who make an appearance from Mass Effect. The story changes the timeline before the games but should not impact the story delivered in the games and can henceforth be considered as an alternative timeline story.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer. <strong>

Mass Effect characters, species, locations and the universal setting are owned by Bioware and not myself. Any other brand names mentioned are property of their respective owners. This work is and always will be free for anyone to read.

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><p><strong>Rating. M (Adult)<strong>

The majority of the story is very tame as far as adult fiction goes, however the story has elements that class it as such. Annoyingly this is the reason that it has an M rating as I am just too honest to rate it any other way.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 - Arranging Departure<strong>

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><p><strong>7th January 2012<strong>

It was coming to the end of a reasonably sunny, but cool day on Thessia as Matriarch Benezia was just finishing sorting through some important documentation at her desk. The green tinge of the sunset that was beginning to form, cast its shadow into the room from the large window to her right. Benezia's mind began to drift, thinking about the upcoming meetings which were to happen on the Citadel in a few days time. She sighs as she relaxes back into her chair to watch the sky out of the window go from green, to a golden yellow. A knock at the door makes her jump a little. Quickly, she ensures any sensitive information is removed from the desk into drawers. "Come in." Shiala, one of Benezia's newest acolytes walks into the room to stand just a couple of paces in from the doorway.

"The Councillor would like to talk to you Matriarch." Benezia didn't expect a call from the Asari councillor today and so, wondered what this was about. Shiala, after a few seconds, got a nod of approval and walks to the open door. She gestured the councillor, who had waited patiently outside, to walk in.

"Councillor, I had not expected you here today. What brings you here?"

"I am here about the mission to map the space between the Citadel and the Exodus Cluster." The look on Benezia's face turned to one of slight annoyance. "I realise that you disliked this decision when it was made sixty three years ago, however the exploration will help us to build a better picture of the galaxy and give us more information. This should eventually allow us all to make better decisions for everyone in the galactic community. This was the reason why I, along with the Salarian Councillor at the time, agreed to this mission." Benezia just sighed with resignation that this was going ahead whether she agreed with it or not.

"So if the mission is going ahead then why, may I ask, are you here this evening?" A little annoyance bubbled over into her voice.

"Your friend Kriana is leading the mission and currently has a crew of twenty eight under her. The problem however is that all of these individuals are information and scientific specialists. Kriana would ideally like some security aboard just in case and Adastra is to be the pilot of the ship."

"Could you not get another pilot?" Benezia knowing Adastra's background.

"Unfortunately she is one of the best given she is qualified to pilot class nine ships. We need that skill in a pilot when there is no one around to help you." Benezia nodded in agreement given they would be days from help if anything did happen. "Given those two points, Kriana suggested you may be willing to let one of your commando trained acolytes join the mission." The councillor knew that she was treading on egg shells here given Benezia's past vocality against the mission.

"Why are the republics not providing security?"

"None of the crew can be republic personnel Benezia otherwise this is not a civilian mission for the benefit of all species. You should know that the Citadel Council only have direct interaction with the Spectres and everything else must go through individual species' governments or be a privately run venture with our blessing."

"I do understand that Councillor but why are you asking me in particular?"

"You know Kriana and have the kind of individuals that would be ideal for such a mission. Loyalty and working well together are rather vital skills given it is a five year mission." Benezia thought this idea over while looking out of the window at the descending darkness that was creeping over the landscape. It would certainly help keep to the peace between her and a couple of other Matriarchs and it sounded like it would be a highly beneficial mission for all species. All of her acolytes would go on the mission if she asked, but most had family or did not have commando training, which would rule them out as ideal candidates. Looking over to Shiala who was standing beside the door she found the appropriate candidate.

"Shiala, would you be willing to go on this mission for five years to protect my friend Kriana and her crew."

"I would be honoured Matriarch." Her voice travelled across the room with an accompanying bow of her head.

"Thank you for your understanding and co-operation Benezia. The mission is due to begin in about two months once the ship is finally complete. I hope this is adequate enough time for Shiala to prepare." The councillor then turned towards Shiala before taking a couple of steps forward. "The ship that you are to be on currently has no name, given it is still incomplete in a space dock on Illium. Kriana was unwilling to name the ship and deferred it to the individual Benezia chose to offer. Do you have any suggestions on a suitable name Shiala?" Shiala was taken a little off guard but Benezia jumped in which gave her time to think.

"How did she know I would agree to providing security?" Her voice sounded more curious than annoyed which the Councillor seemed pleased about.

"She did not know." The councillor replied turning her head to face Benezia. "It would have been down to me to name the ship if you had not agreed." With that both the councillor and Benezia turned to look to Shiala for an answer.

"The Enlighten. I think would be a most appropriate name given the objective of the mission." The councillor turned back to look at Benezia who nodded with a slight smile, evidently approving of the chosen name.

"I agree entirely Shiala, Enlighten it is. I appreciate your time Benezia and you agreeing to be a part of the mission Shiala." Shiala bowed her head with a smile. "I hope you both have a pleasant evening and I will be in contact shortly." With a small nod from Benezia and a small bow from Shiala she left the room.

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><p><strong>1st March 2012<strong>

The councillor looked at her inbox to find a message from Sentix Spaceworks.

_Project 51382 (Enlighten)._

_Completion date is expected to be the tenth of March. We apologise for the slight slip of the date from the first, however we needed to check our high standards have been upheld in every possible way. We look forward to hearing plans for the ships maiden voyage._

_Sentix Spaceworks._

A smile grew on the Councillor's face as it was good news after a rough couple of days. It was also a chance to show the galactic community that the Asari can indeed build decent ships, as people had preferred Turian vessels for a number of years. She quickly began to create a new message to everyone involved on the mission.

_To: - all on the Enlighten mission._

_The completion date for the ship is to be the tenth. I therefore propose all of you to go to Sentix Spaceworks on the eleventh to pick up the ship and bring it to the Nos Astra Space Port. The announcement of the mission will happen at one pm local time. I hope to see you all there._

_Asari Councillor._

She sent the message and then began organising the event that was to happen on Nos Astra.

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><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**A short chapter to help start the story. **

**Any feedback would be most welcomed.**

**13/10/2013 - Updated with a re-edited version.**


	2. Chapter 2 : Collection

**Chapter 2 - Collection**

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><p><strong>11th March 2012<strong>

"Good morning, my name is Omepha and welcome to Sentix Spaceworks. Are you part of the Enlighten crew?"

"It is good to meet you Omepha. My name is Fosanta and I am indeed part of the Enlighten crew." Omepha nodded in greeting before looking towards her console. Fosanta looked around at the large open and airy reception area noting that it looked fairly impressive, especially so for an industrial company.

"The Enlighten is in hanger two Fosanta. According to my list there is only one individual left to arrive before you depart. You may take one of the personal transport vehicles from the corridor to get you there as it is quite a walk."

"I appreciate the help Omepha. Which way do I need to go?"

"My apologies. Take the door to the left of the desk and in front of you should be a number of vehicles for you to choose from. Follow the orange stripe on the walls to get you there."

"Thank you." Omepha nods to Fosanta before getting back to work. Fosanta walked through the doorway to enter a wide, seemingly never ending corridor. As Omepha had stated there was a room immediately in front of her with a number of different personal forms of transport. Fosanta picked one which carried up to two people and began to drive down the corridor following the orange stripe.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Good morning, my name is Omepha. Welcome to Sentix Spaceworks Adastra." Adastra smiled at her knowing who she was.

"It is good to meet you Omepha. How do I get to the Enlighten?"

"Go through the door on your left, take a personal transport vehicle and follow the orange stripe on the wall. That should take you to hanger two where everyone should be waiting for you."

"Thank you for the help."

"No problem." Omepha went back to answering messages as Adastra walked through the same door Fosanta had walked through only minutes earlier. Adastra chose a four person transport and set off as if she was half an hour late. It only took six minutes to travel down the corridor before she pulled in to the park for the vehicles at hanger two to find another Asari just getting off.

"It is always the most fun when you are late. My name is Adastra." Fosanta seemed a little shocked but decided to put that to one side for the moment.

"Hello Adastra, my name is Fosanta. Is it yourself or Tahomi who is the main pilot?" Adastra smiled to Fosanta as the two of them walked to the door opposite to enter the hanger.

"I am the main pilot as Tahomi is only qualified to fly up to class seven ships. I technically am qualified to fly class nine which includes the destiny ascension, although I have never had the opportunity to do so."

"Really?" Fosanta sounded a little surprised at having a dreadnought pilot on a class five, more frigate class ship. "What is the reasoning behind having such a qualified pilot?"

"I assume It is because we will be days from help and if something goes wrong we need the skills to manage it. That and I do not have anything else to fly at the moment." Fosanta nodded as the pair of them walked through the door of the hanger to see the blue painted hull of the Enlighten. The two of them got smiles on their faces as they admired the paint, the gently curving shape towards the wings and the bright yellow name on the side of the hull. "If this flies as well as it looks it is going to be brilliant. We are however going to be visible from the next galaxy with that colour."

"I am feeling much happier it looks like a brand new design as most of the older vessels are not nice to be on. I do agree with the colour being a bit much, although since we are inside it is not like we will see it every day." Adastra nodded with a little laugh as the pair of them walked up the stairs and along the gantry towards the airlock.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kriana had received a message from Omepha that Fosanta and Adastra would be arriving shortly. She along with her daughter Emala and Shiala waited at the airlock. The airlock door opened and two Asari walk in. "You two must be Fosanta and Adastra. My name is Kriana and I will be the captain of the ship. This is my daughter Emala who has just finished some basic exploration studies." Kriana put her arm around her daughter as she talked which Fosanta thought was a nice touch.

"My name is Shiala and I will be providing basic security on-board."

"It is good to meet you all; I am Fosanta in case you were wondering who was who." The three who were already on-board nod in greeting.

"It is good to meet you three. I hope you do not mind if we get moving as I was a bit late, my apologies."

"No problem, you can sort your rooms out later. All your belongings that you sent here a couple of days ago should be in the cargo hold and your rooms are labelled on the deck below."

"Thank you Kriana." Adastra instantly made a bee line for the cockpit with Fosanta nodding to Kriana and before she followed Adastra at a slightly less enthusiastic pace. Adastra plonked herself down on the pilots chair noting its comfort before she looked to the co-pilots chair on her left. There she saw an old Asari friend which made her face brighten up appreciably. "It is good to see you again Tahomi. It must be what, a hundred and fifty years since we last met?"

"More than that Adastra. I am at least glad I am not under some miserable pilot." The two of them laughed which made Fosanta curious.

"You two know each other?"

"Tahomi that is Fosanta" Adastra pointed out Fosanta to Tahomi. "I believe she is to be our communication specialist."

"It is good to meet you Fosanta. I am a little surprised we have a communications specialist in the cockpit as the new technology makes that easy. I suppose they are covering every eventuality with the crew selection."

"It certainly sounds like it Tahomi as most ships do not need co-pilots these days either." The three of them shared a laugh at that comment.

"Good point. Yes I know Adastra from when we did advanced flight control at the University of Serrice. She stayed on for an extra few years to do the dreadnought class which I thought was pointless given there are so few ships of that size."

"Oh it was a pointless waste Tahomi; it was a good course though." Tahomi nodded as Kriana approached the cockpit. She stood in the doorway between the cockpit and the deck as that was where there was the most amount of space.

"I hope we are ready to leave as we need to be at Nos Astra space port in twenty minutes."

"Does anyone know if this ship has ceramic tube thrusters?" Kriana looked pleased she had spent the morning reading the datasheets on the ship.

"The specifications said density controlled tungsten Adastra. Why do you ask?" Adastra began to work on the console letting Tahomi answer.

"Kriana. If they were ceramic tubes we would break them doing what we are about to do." Adastra carefully manoeuvred the ship out of the hanger as she warmed the thrusters.

"Fosanta can you contact Illium control now so we can get clearance." Adastra found the mass effect core controls on the ship a little strange. "Kriana does this ship use two mass effect cores as it seems too well balanced for one."

"It uses three Adastra, one either side of the hull at the back and the one at the nose is larger than normal." Adastra seemed a little confused but happy with the response. Most ships especially of this size used a single core as large as possible.

"ASL-Enlighten to Illium control surface. Requesting an approach flight path and a dock at Nos Astra space port."

"ASL-Enlighten, you have been reserved dock one. Please note that your flight path includes a holding point. Please remain at this point and keep communications open until you are cleared to approach." Fosanta looks to Adastra who nods.

"Understood Illium control, Enlighten out."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Nos Astra was abuzz with activity, much more than usual. Word had spread that the Council would be visiting and that a new ship was to be officially named and then depart on its maiden voyage into the unknown at one this afternoon. A local company had set up three lecterns on a small stage with several seats on, outside the berth closest to the main trade floor on Nos Astra. A small crowd had started to gather by noon, which was when representatives from the Armali Council and the University of Serrice arrived in a small shuttle at the third dock. Dock two was of course for the council who turned up at twenty to one to a now large crowd of a few thousand people.

At one pm on the dot the councillors took to the lecterns and the crowd, which was now so large the trade floor had to be temporarily closed, fell silent.

The Asari councillor started, "We are gathered here today to mark a new step towards understanding the galaxy in which we all live. This may not seem as important as a new councillor or the announcement of a peace deal in a war, but it will affect decisions that will be made for generations to come."

"We may not think much about the future. Without sufficient knowledge, we cannot always, make well formed decisions. Ones that affect, many, many people." the Salarian Councillor added.

"It is decisions where advancing and keeping safe all species that will be positively impacted by today's events and the subsequent mission." The Turian Councillor added sounding a little unconvinced but running with it.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra was still not convinced with the odd mass effect core layout but the ship had more than ample thrust for such a small vessel. The priority however was not putting a dint in the hull before it had taken its maiden voyage, especially in front of the councillors and sponsors.

"ASL-Enlighten this is Illium control surface. You are now clear to proceed from your holding point to dock."

"Could I talk Fosanta." Fosanta gave a nod as Adastra opened the channel back to Illium control. "Understood Illium control. We would like to request an exclusion from the space port speed limit upon disembarking."

"What are you planning Adastra?" Kriana sensed that the request was going against the norm. Adastra just ignored her.

"ASL-Enlighten, your request is outside normal procedures. Could we ask the reason for you wanting to exceed space port limits?" Adastra's smile grew a little larger.

"I would like to see what this ship is capable of before we go into the unknown. What better time than on the maiden voyage."

"We will get back to you on that Enlighten, Control out." Adastra receives the approach path from Tahomi and begins the approach into the dock.

"What are you thinking Adastra? We will have the councillors and sponsor representatives on-board on departure." Kriana stated flatly as Adastra's smile turned into a grin.

"I would just like to show to the people that made this possible what it is capable of." Adastra turned to look at Kriana with a child like amusement on her face. Kriana just put her head into her hand and sighed thinking to herself that it must be that she's still young.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Today we mark the announcement of the most advanced exploration vessel in galactic space with its ambitious goal of mapping a large part of the unknown galaxy." the Asari councillor felt a sense of pride as the crowd erupted with cheer. "The ASL-Enlighten." she turned around and held her hand out towards the approaching ship as the crowd got a renewed voice.

The ASL-Enlighten approached its birth with speed, grace, and precision. As the crowd got their first look at the smooth over engineered hull murmurings began to spread. The paint scheme for the ASL-Enlighten had been chosen by the sponsors and the crew from thousands of entries entered by school children from various planets. It was certainly not the most traditional design, nor the most complicated, but the one that evoked the strongest reaction, which was picked as the winner. The whole ship was painted an electric blue with the ships name written in yellow text and the logos and names of the two public sponsors were written in white towards the rear of the hull.

"Today the Enlighten will depart with a crew of twenty nine on a five year mission to expand our knowledge and horizons. To map and discover new worlds and possibly even new life." The Asari councillor paused whilst waiting for the crowd to calm down. "This project could not have been undertaken without the support and equipment supplied by the Armali Council and the University of Serrice, and for their help we thank them." The representatives stood and took a bow, gaining an appreciative applause before sitting back down.

"Thank you again everyone for this public show of support." The Salarian councillor finished the official proceedings and the three of them along with the representatives from the sponsors walked off the stage towards the side of the ship where the twenty nine crew members were waiting. They grouped together under the large lettering of the Enlighten for photos to be taken before all of them boarded the ship.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"ASL-Enlighten you are clear to depart, also your request was granted." Adastra had a beaming grin on her face as she turned to Kriana who could only sigh before turning to go and find the nearest seat on the upper deck.

"You may as well answer Adastra as it was your request." Fosanta already felt a little under loved and she had only been on-board three hours.

"ASL-Enlighten to Illium Control. Thank you for accepting the request. Enlighten out." Adastra opened up the intercom to the ship. "Adastra to everyone on-board the Enlighten. Please find a comfy seat as we have received clearance to break the space port speed limit."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The crowd had dispersed slightly as the ship started to undock but suddenly started paying attention again after the ship had barely finished turning before pencil like jets of white light appeared from the thrusters as the ship began to extremely quickly gain speed. It was no more than thirty seconds before the ASL-Enlighten had disappeared from view. Whispers started to spread amongst the crowd as it was obvious the ship had exceeded the speed limit.

"Adastra, we have a FTL message incoming." Fosanta read the message to herself before vocalising it to Adastra and Tahomi. "ASL-Enlighten. You have broken the record for the fastest civilian ship from disembark to FTL from Nos Astra space port. Congratulations on the record and from all of us at Illium control let the goddess smile upon you, for the mission ahead. Illium control."

"Whoooo". Adastra was overly animated in her seat as a grin settled upon the three Asari in the cockpit. Once Adastra had lost her over-abundance of energy she reached over for the intercom. "I am pleased to inform you all we have just broken the record for the fastest undock to FTL time in a civilian vessel from Nos Astra."

Kriana was sitting with the three councillors and Dr. Rheova from the University of Serrice wondering what the hell they would say about this stunt. "Very impressive for a non-military vessel." The Turian Councillor stated, he was obviously a little peeved that an Asari ship had taken the record, most probably from a Turian ship.

"Indeed. How many of these advanced thrusters does this ship have?" Dr. Rheova added unable to hold back her curiosity any longer.

"The ship has five plasma thrusters one of which is a modified version of your super-light cruiser class thruster doctor." Kriana stated the facts as if she had been on this ship for five years already. She had started to think memorising the technical specifications this morning was an inspired idea.

"How was my thruster modified?"

"Armali Council's research and development team came up with it when they came in under budget on the weight. Applying an afterburner to the plasma stream boosted the thrust by fifteen percent with only a small increase in weight."

"That is interesting. I am sure I mentioned to the design team that two standard plasma thrusters would be perfectly sufficient for a ship this size. How do you plan on storing enough fuel to justify a class six thruster on a ship this small?" The doctor obviously wondered if this had been done for the publicity stunt that was just pulled or if it was a well thought out plan.

"I am not exactly the best person to ask. Adastra or Tahomi would be better placed to answer that type of question. You can find then in the cockpit." Kriana pointed out. "However the Enlighten splits water using electrolysis, the power coming from an oversized fusion core. The fact that your plasma engine design uses hydrogen means the left over oxygen that is not used on the afterburner can be used to maintain the atmosphere in the hull. The only fuels we therefore need regularly are helium-3 which will be delivered by a refuelling freighter once every six months, nitrogen which is usually easily obtainable, and ice or water from various sources."

"That actually sounds like a well thought out plan." The doctor noted.

"Well thought out indeed. I would not have thought of that myself. It seems like having academic sponsor's pays off for missions such as these. Congratulations on the record captain." The Salarian councillor clearly appreciated the intellectual effort that was put in.

"Captain, congratulations. I hope this record is a sign of things to come." The Asari councillor expressed a reserved tone in her voice as if she did not exactly approve of the stunt.

"Thank you all for making this happen. I really need to prepare before we get to the citadel. Please make yourselves at home." Kriana added before she made her way towards the lift.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Fosanta was having a look around the ship since it would be another hour before she was needed to help with the jump to the citadel. The top deck at the front was the cockpit, airlock and lift to the lower decks. Behind that both walls had desks with consoles on. The rear half of the deck in the middle was filled with various equipment. The front an open space to which people could pull their chairs into to make a discussion space. She approached the lift after having a look around and pressed the button. "I thought it would be a great time to unpack." Adastra's voice appeared from behind Fosanta as she waited for the lift to arrive.

"I was just having a look around for now Adastra. Do you know what room you are in yet?" The two of them entered the lift to go down a deck.

"I am guessing it will be a single room. I cannot complain really. Do you know who you will be with?"

"I honestly have no idea. There is only one way to find out." The two of them walked out of the lift and into a large seating area which had a kitchen behind.

"Well at least I know where the toilets are now." Adastra stood looking immediately to her right. "I therefore guess the showers will be at the other side." Fosanta walked over to look before turning to walk back. She nodded with a smile.

"How do you know the layout?"

"It is quite logical really as most of the decks tend to be fairly symmetrical these days." Fosanta nodded to Adastra and the two of them began to walk down the central corridor on deck two, past door after door with two names on. "Why do I get the feeling we will be right at the end."

"You are not afraid of walking are you?"

"Not at all Fosanta. I am just a bit nervous I suppose, given we are going to be stuck together for five years."

"I understand. Oh, your room Adastra." Fosanta gestured towards to a door to her right, one which had a white label on, Adastra's name written in black. Adastra smiled to Fosanta before walking in to be greeted with a large single room. A desk with a console on was immediately in front of her as she walked in. The bed was across the right hand wall. A wardrobe sat at the bottom of the bed and a chest of draws opposite the wardrobe.

"Now this is a nice amount of space for a single room."

"I am actually slightly envious Adastra." Adastra could only smile as she checked the bed to find it was just the way she liked it, slightly on the firmer side.

"We should find your room then Fosanta." Adastra got up off her allocated bed and joined Fosanta in continuing the search for her room further down the corridor. It was hardly difficult to find, the opposite side of the corridor and one door further down from Adastra's room.

"Oh, I am with Shiala. I do not think I have slept with a commando before." Fosanta tried to remember back through the centuries whether she had or not but could not say for definite one way or the other.

"I am not really in a position to make a joke here so I will not." The two of them entered the room to find it was empty. The room had two chests of draws along the wall immediately in front of the door with a set of shelves in the corner. Along the back wall there were two desks each of which had a window. Along the right hand wall were two wardrobes. In the middle along the door wall was a double bed. "There is a surprising amount of floor space between the bed and everything else. I do not think you have got a bad deal."

"This room is approaching double the size of my last I had on a ship. I am highly impressed at the amount of space there is on this ship for everything."

"I am going to get my stuff from the cargo hold and bring it up before we dock at the citadel."

"I will too." The two of them left the room to get their stuff from the cargo hold.

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><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**Further newly edited chapters await if you press the next chapter button :)**

**A couple of points I need to clarify. ASL stands for Asari Scientific Liner which is the assumed class given the AML-Demieter is assumed to be an Asari Merchant liner. The second is I assume in this chapter that ships have a trade-off between the mass effect core reducing the ships mass and the amount of power available to the propulsion systems. It would therefore be logical that varying ships would have a varying thrust to mass ratio and therefore differing times to get to light speed.**

**13/10/2013 - Updated chapter to the newest re-edit.**


	3. Chapter 3 : Enlightening Space

**Chapter 3 - Enlightening Space**

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><p><strong>12th March 2012<strong>

The Enlighten had left the Citadel after spending a night to receive supplies. The crew had decided over breakfast to start nearest to Krogan home world and work towards the Exodus Cluster in a meandering sort of pattern.

"Well say goodbye to the Citadel as you will not be seeing it for a while." Adastra voiced aloud as the ship approaches the relay to head to Tuchanka.

"I am quite looking forward to going in to the unknown."

"Well that is one of us Tahomi. What about you Fosanta?"

"I wish to reserve judgement for a month or two as it could either be deadly boring or quite exiting." Adastra nodded in agreement before she received the green light to approach the relay. "Sending mass and destination to the relay." Fosanta kept an eye on her screen for the acceptance signal. "Relay is open Adastra." Tahomi provided the vector for Adastra to hit before she sat back to watch the jump. The Enlighten smoothly arced around to travel down the length of the relay before disappearing.

"I really dislike relay jumping." Tahomi held her head once they had reappeared on the other side as if she was a little dizzy.

"Why did you become a pilot then Tahomi?" Fosanta seemed to be concentrating more on the screen in front of her instead of being genuinely interested in the answer.

"I like flying Fosanta. I just dislike relay jumping as I do not like how it makes me feel funny."

"Fair enough." Fosanta did not seem to have taken any of the reply on-board. "Sorry Tahomi. I was not really concentrating as I was attempting to work out where we are to go next. Adastra we have a system twenty three light years away just off our chosen path."

"I see it, Tahomi can you get me a destination." Tahomi ran some quick calculations working from known positions of planets and stars before delivering the flight path to Adastra. "Welcome to seven days of sitting around doing nothing." Adastra announced in an overly sarcastic voice after she has received the target co-ordinates.

"It gives us all time to get to know each other better." Kriana noted as she had reappeared in the doorway.

"I would rather try and keep myself to myself if you do not mind Kriana."

"Fair enough Adastra. When are we setting off?"

"Whenever you say so Kriana since you are here."

"We may as well be actually going somewhere than sitting around doing nothing." Adastra quickly programmed the autopilot with the co-ordinates before pressing the go button. She then sat back as the ship began to accelerate towards the speed of light.

"To be fair I am now sitting around doing nothing." Kriana wondered if Adastra was going to stay this difficult for the whole five years or would she eventually lighten up a little.

**2nd December 2016**

The Enlighten had met a Turian carrier near to a known mass relay to replenish stock and to receive any spares that were needed.

"I hope they are loading something good this time as I hated the last lot of food. Did you remember to voice my opinion Fosanta?" Fosanta just sighed.

"Yes Adastra." This was probably the thousandth time of her asking over the last three months. "Please remember that I was not keen on it either but unfortunately I can only provide recommendations."

"Still it tasted awful. I do not want some Salarian packed meals just because they have all the right nutrients." Adastra turned to the console and tried and take her mind off the meals that looked and tasted like packed vomit. "So it is just these two systems we are interested in that we want to do a detailed scan of before heading home?"

"Yes Adastra." Fosanta was beginning to wonder if she should record herself saying that and just play it each time Adastra said something.

"Tahomi, can you get me destination co-ordinates so we can get out of here as soon as we have finished loading." Tahomi nodded and began to work out the required co-ordinates.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kriana was carefully checking the manifest as the cargo hold was gradually filled. As she scrolled down she noticed the packing code for the food was different this time. A smile came across her face when she checked the code on the extranet to find it was produced on Illium instead of Sur'Kesh.

It was not long before the cargo hold was fully stocked and they were ready to leave. Kriana signs the manifest before heading to the top deck.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"So while we are waiting I wish to clear something up. Is it now three habitable planets and two hundred and fifty which have a large amount of extractable resources?" Adastra seemed so bored that inane chatter is about all she could manage.

"No, two hundred and fifty two resource rich planets." Fosanta corrected Adastra.

"Sorry for missing the two. I think it has been worthwhile even if it has been busy one week, nothing to do the next constantly."

"I personally did not mind that as it gave us all a break and some of the crew are really great people to spend time with. I could tell you got bored at times given the amount of pranks tended to increase whilst travelling."

"Some were really funny though." Adastra laughed at her memories before hearing a cough behind her. She looked around to see Kriana standing behind her. "Are we good to go?"

"Some of the pranks were deplorable and insulting as well. How you could find them funny I have no idea." Kriana wanted to get her point across yet again for her to stop. She knew it was futile however.

"I thought you found the fire breathing taps funny?" Adastra remembering back to when she added hydrogen gas to the ships water and the electronic valve lit the stream of water as it came out.

"Until someone nearly set themselves on fire, then it was not so funny. Anyway yes we are fully loaded with food from Illium and ready to leave when you are." Kriana had a slight smile on her face for once.

"I am so glad to hear that Kriana. Adastra has been bugging me for weeks."

"You are ok now Fosanta until something else happens." Kriana knew there will be something else if it was not the food. Fosanta nodded in agreement knowing the same thing. Adastra set the ship on auto-pilot to travel the twenty nine and a half light years to the next system to be thoroughly mapped.

* * *

><p><strong>11th December 2016<strong>

"Captain we are just about to drop out of FTL." Adastra announced over the intercom before turning to the co pilots chair to her left. "Would you like to drop us out of FTL Emala before the core discharge does it for us?"

"Sure." Emala looked to Adastra with a small smile on her face. Emala had been sitting in for Tahomi as the co-pilot for the last nine days since it was not like there was much to do when the ship was in FTL travel. Adastra had been a patient teacher going through the basics of flight control with the younger one who certainly seemed to have a bit of a knack for the technical bits.

Shiala and the captain had rolled up at the same time to the cockpit with Shiala took a seat in the communications chair to Adastra's right and Kriana stood in the small space between Adastra and her daughter who seemed to be doing all the work under a careful eye. Adastra turned and noticed Shiala in the comms seat and smiled. Fosanta had actually seemed fairly happy with Shiala doing this job when she was unable to over the last few months. Whether that was down to them sleeping together Adastra did not want to speculate.

Shiala opened the intercom to the ship. "Dropping out of FTL in 10... 5... 3, 2, 1." The ship jerked slightly and with that a smile appeared on Emala's face as she turned around to face Kriana, "That was all me." She beamed unable to hold back the feeling of achievement.

"I know Emala, I was watching the whole time."

Shiala suddenly got a shocked look from the console displaying preliminary sensor readings. "Captain, Adastra, it seems a couple of these planets are being mined for helium-3 and are fortified with what looks like mass accelerator cannons but its difficult for me to be sure."

"Is there a suitable planet to discharge the mass effect core on where we will not be seen?" Adastra expressed her slight concern in her tone of voice.

"There is one but a Batarian cruiser is closing in on us fast."

"Can we stay out of its range without going to FTL Adastra?" The captain added, a slight concern started to enter her voice as well.

"I will try but the Goddess will have to be smiling upon us." Adastra's usually calm demeanour showing the first signs of cracks appearing as the ship forcefully accelerates.

The ship jolts for a second but still continues accelerating hard. "Shields took a heavy hit captain, seventy one percent another three..." The ship jolts again. "Another two hits would be about all we can take." Shiala said in a very composed manner given the gravity of the situation.

Kriana leant over and opened the intercom, "All crew evacuate using the shuttles, Now!" She looked down and to her left. "That includes you Emala."

Emala's determination meant she had no intention of leaving. Instead she was composing a quick message to send using low bit rate FTL communications.

ASL-Enlighten is under attack by Batarians at the co-ordinates attached to this message. Crew are in escape shuttles. Help.

Once it had been sent she went back to trying to hold the shields together while Adastra concentrated on propulsion and Shiala on navigating.

Another hit on the shields came and the hit was clearly felt as the shields were fading and the hull of the ship was getting damaged. Fosanta appeared in the cockpit to stand behind Shiala.

"We need to go to FTL, is there any chance of the ship surviving a discharge." The captain now thinking it was everything or nothing.

"I have a possible idea. Just to warn you captain, there is no time for anyone here to evacuate if we are to try this." Adastra leaned around to look at the captain. The captain looked at Emala, torn as to what to do. It was this or possible suffering in the hands of the Batarians. She could not let that happen to her daughter.

"I hope the Goddess likes your idea Adastra."

"Shiala, tell me as soon as the last shuttle has left." Adastra seemed taking over the role of captain now it was her idea on the line.

"So are you going to spread your wisdom as to your plan Adastra?" Kriana just about managing to stay composed.

"I am going to seal off the cockpit then vent the whole ship to prevent fires starting due to shorts and the heat. Then once that is done, discharge the mass effect core capacitors into the four smaller thrusters to reduce the size of the discharge and go to FTL. I prey to the Goddess this works."

"Adastra, the last shuttle has just left and I have plotted a course away from here."

Adastra leaned over to her right to seals off the cockpit from the rest of the ship. "Emala try and protect as much of the ship as possible by sacrificing non-essentials." Adastra vented the hull as she was speaking. She took one deep breath she hit the FTL button on the console. Four large explosions could be heard and felt at the back of the ship as the plasma thrusters overloaded and failed. The overhead lighting and most of the ancillary equipment died seconds later before the mass effect core kicked the Enlighten into FTL.

"We need to keep the hull temperature down." Adastra was now bathed in the orange glow of the console which was now the sole lighting in the room. "Emala, repressurise the hull to twice atmospheric pressure and vent to standard pressure once the temperature exceeds three hundred and fifty Kelvin. Keep cycling until we have ten percent nitrogen left in the tank."

Shiala was digging up as much data as possible from any working sensors that were left. "Captain, the long range sensors are fried along with the FTL communications array and it seems like the standard array is damaged. We also only have stored hydrogen and oxygen now as the electrolysis unit's wiring is fried. That will get us to our destination and give us about another week of oxygen to perform repairs."

Kriana took a seat on a small seat at the back of the cockpit. She closed her eyes and whispered, "Goddess, this is not over yet but thank you."

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**I know some people may ask why I omitted four and a half years, did not fully look around the ship and have not had any discussions with the rest of the crew. I did not want the last three chapters to turn in to twenty seven and given most of the crew have now evacuated I felt it was fairly pointless writing them in. I may well write some parts into future chapters to flesh out the missing time.**

**I welcome all constructive feedback whether negative or positive.**

**13/10/2013 - Chapter updated to a re-edited version. **


	4. Chapter 4 : Surprise

**Chapter 4 - Boom**

* * *

><p><strong>12th December 2016<strong>

Sam Barnes had just got back home from working as an IT systems engineer. He dumped his bag in the hallway as he made his way towards the living area. He turned on the TV before making his way into the kitchen. "In other news. Scientists are warning that there is a high probability of unusual coronal activity happening on the sun after a much longer quieter period than normal. Doctor Huxton of the international scientific council stated that the peak of the suns cycle should have happened over five years ago, but never occurred. This could mean either the cycle has been skipped or will be stranger when it does arrive. If you wish to see further information on this story please view our website."

"I really do wish they would stop reporting on speculation." Sam getting a little peeved as he put the meat pie in the oven before he walked back to the living room and sat down on his chair by the newly erected Christmas tree. He pulled out his laptop to check his e-mails noting they are all spam and unceremoniously deleted them all in one action.

"With only twelve days left until Christmas people are starting to plan their Christmas gatherings. With the recent increases in fuel prices pushing the price of unleaded petrol over two pounds per litre. What impact is it likely to have on traditional family gatherings? Sarah Faynam reports." Sam changed the channel before he heard any more.

"Shit." Sam just rubbed his head noting an incoming headache. "Why is it that everything reminds me?" Sam felt a little upset at the memory before he smelt a rather warm pie smell from the kitchen. He trudged to the kitchen and pulled the dark brown pie out of the oven onto a plate before he walked back to his seat.

* * *

><p><strong>14th May 2016<strong>

"That was a good meal Sam. What do you think of coming back here again sometime?"

"Dad, we have barely left and it is over three months till your birthday. I shall decide nearer the time."

"I certainly enjoyed today. Thank you again Sam." Fay gave Sam a hug.

"No problem given it was your birthday and everything." The three of them climb into Sam's car. Sam got into the drivers seat given Fay and Alan had been drinking wine with their meal. The three of them set off home, working their way through the typical Saturday city traffic.

"How about a drive on the country roads given it is a nice day?"

"Ok Dad." Sam turned off to the left just ahead. This allowed them to skip most of the heavy traffic and lead them on to a reasonably quiet road out of the city. It was an extra five miles to get back home that way but it was a pleasant drive.

"I do not think you could get much better than this." Alan looked out of the window over the lake and a view over all the trees towards the city.

"I remember when we used to walk up here together when we were younger just for the view." Alan just smiled to himself at the memory of him and Fay having picnics in the blowing wind. Sam slowed the car a little for the crossroads ahead but he did not need to bother as it was his right of way. Out of Sam's peripheral vision to his left he saw a blue shape heading towards them. Instinctively he turned his head to get a better view and reality dawned that it was a car going way too fast to stop.

"Shi..." A large explosive crash cuts off what he was about to say as the car impacted the side of his pushing the car on to its side.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Where are my parents? Are they ok?" Sam attempted to look around bout could only see the roof of what seemed like an ambulance. A slightly passive looking face appeared in his field of view.

"Calm down. You are heading to hospital. Unfortunately I do not know how your parents are as they were still trying to cut them out of the car when we left. My name is Steve by the way. Could I ask what yours is?" Steve already had a decent idea who he was from the number plate check but he needed to be sure.

"Sam."

"Sam Barnes is it?"

"It is" Sam wanted to nod but a collar prevented him doing so. His mind felt a little like it was spinning as it attempted to piece together everything that was happening.

"Sam, your only injuries seem to be from the broken glass. We need you to have a CT scan however as you banged your head rather hard on the support pillar when the car rolled. If you have nothing broken then you will likely be discharged with the instruction to rest." Sam just laid on the stretcher, a million pieces of information floating around in his mind just waiting to be pieced back together. "Sam, can I ask if you have any pain in your neck or spine?"

"I have a really bad headache and my neck is a little stiff but that is it."

"Ok, we should be arriving in about three minutes. Just try to relax Sam."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam was wheeled back into a cubicle after having his CT scan to await the results. He was not in there much longer than a minute before a police officer walked through the curtain. "Sam Barnes?" Sam gave a small nod given his stiff neck knowing this can only be bad news.

"My name is John Winston." John skipped his formal title due to the nature of the news to be given. "I am extremely sorry to be the person to break this to you but both of your parents have died in the accident." Sam seemed to take the news reasonably well, he looked upset and disappointed but there were no tears. A doctor pushed the curtain aside to walk in before realising what was happening.

"If you need a few minutes Sam this can wait."

"I would rather hear it now." The doctor did not look much more than five foot four from where Sam was but that information was trivial at the moment. He nodded before delivering the results.

"Your CT scan is clean however I need to warn you that you may have a headache for a while as you were out cold when the paramedics found you. Yo9u may also find that your neck remains stiff for a while as well. You are however free to leave here once you have a collar to support your neck for a few days." Sam nodded lightly to the doctor who seemed to leave in a bit of a rush.

"I would be more than happy to give you a lift home if you wish Sam."

"I would appreciate that as I doubt I am in a great condition to walk all the way to the bus station."

"That would be why I offered Sam."

Sam was given a number of leaflets and printed information as he left the hospital with the white collar around his neck. He travelled back home with John in the police car.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

They pulled up outside Sam's house. "Would you like me to sit with you for a while Sam?"

"No. I will be fine, thank you for the lift and your help."

"That is no problem Sam. Again my sympathy for what happened and just remember about the leaflets you were given if you need any help. There is always someone to talk to if you need them."

"I will. Thank you again." Sam got out of the car and carefully shut the door before making his way to his front door down the empty driveway. The gravity of the situation hit home as he closed the front door behind him to hear nothing other than the humming of the fridge. All Sam could do at that point was to slide down the front door and weep.

* * *

><p><strong>15th December 2016<strong>

The Council deployment of three Turian ships to help the ASL-Enlighten and its crew arrive at the location that was sent with the distress message. After systematically searching and destroying all the Batarian mining facilities, twenty of the crew were found alive inside containerised storage ready for transportation. Logs indicate where another four may have been taken to. There was no sign of the Enlighten ever being in the system so it was presumed destroyed with the five remaining crew on-board killed. Searching local systems which could be accessed with a damaged ship would however still continue in the hope that the ASL-Enlighten would turn up.

* * *

><p><strong>22nd December 2016<strong>

The Christmas party was the only item of conversation on the agenda at the office today with everyone seemingly overexcited. "You don't seem too pleased it is the office party tonight Sam." Tony was a good guy but a little over the top at times.

"I loathe Christmas parties as people get way too drunk, make too much noise, and it just is not fun."

"I think you need to lighten up a little. Anyway I will see you in about an hour." Sam just gave him a nod before he walked out of the office for the day. Sam was tempted earlier not to bother even going but he thought it may be better to show his face even if it was only for a few minutes.

It did not take long for the hour to pass and Sam walked into the local pub which the office had taken over for the night. Finding a comfy corner seat by himself he sat and enjoyed his orange juice whilst watching all the silly antics, as he had predicted, from people who had severely overestimated their alcohol tolerance.

"Is anyone sitting here?" He just about heard over the din of the cheering as someone tripped over a chair and fell flat on their face. He turned around to see Kate from public relations who seemed to be weathering the drinking remarkably well.

"No." Sam being deliberately simple in his reply trying to make sure he was heard over the rabble trying now to sing carols and failing to make little more than noise. Kate had been appearing quite often recently in the IT department, usually for fairly trivial reasons. Sam thought it was just because she was not all that good with technology but her job in PR meant she needed to use IT daily so it was a bit odd.

"Do you find this a bit pointless, Sam?" Waving her arm towards the crowd and nearly knocking her drink over in the process. A smile appeared on Sam's face as he saw Kate flailing to save her drink from spilling.

"Yes. I have nothing against a drink, however going to excess and acting like a clown is not exactly group bonding. A weekend of working together as a team on something different would be more advantageous in my opinion."

"True but it's a tradition, like having your parents around for Christmas lunch."

Those words hit Sam hard. The memory renewed that he would not have his parents saying he had overcooked the Christmas lunch this year. With tears starting to form in his brown eyes he shuffled his way out from behind the table. Looking over at Kate he just stated "I need to go, sorry." and quickly left before his control gave in. Once he had got to his car he took a few minutes just to sit there recomposing himself before setting off home.

Approaching the supermarket on the way back he thought the idea of doing the Christmas shopping now was a half decent idea. He felt quite drained but it was not as if pushing a trolley around was hard work. It did not take long for him to get all that he needed and pile it into the boot of his car. It took an hour and twenty minutes for him to get home given the mad Christmas shopping traffic and the road works that had sprung up over the course of the day.

During unpacking the car he wondered if he did indeed live alone as there was easily enough food for four people for a week. Christmas was always a time to go over the top so shrugging to himself he hauled the last of the bags out of the boot of the car and into the house. He dumped most of the bags on the kitchen table before he went to turn the TV on to the News Channel before beginning to put the food away.

Whilst packing the fridge shelves like it was a real world game of Tetris a breaking news item caught his interest.

"A large solar flare has in the last hour been ejected from the sun. Scientists had been expecting a flare as a very large sunspot called AR3411 had been growing steadily over the last week as it turned to face the direction of Earth. The current estimates predict that the ejected particles are expected to hit Earth between four and six tomorrow afternoon. Initial estimations of the measurements taken from the GOES satellite indicate that the flare could be equal in intensity to the previously largest measured flare that occurred on the 4th November 2003. That flare however only grazed Earth and no major damage was done."

Sam quickly packed away the rest of the food and plonked himself on his favourite chair in the living room, laptop in hand, trying to glean what the flares effect could be. After exhausting all possible avenues of information, and the laptop battery, he had to settle on the fact that it was a crapshoot as to what would likely happen. With that realisation and after the long day he turned in for the night.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**Plenty of new characters and a solar flare, how are they related? The next few chapters should explain all.**

**13/10/2013 - Chapter updated to a re-edited version. **


	5. Chapter 5 : Light Up

**Chapter 5 - Light up**

* * *

><p><strong>23rd December 2016<strong>

Sam sat up in bed as if he had just heard a gunshot going off. He looked to his bedside table and glared at the alarm clock which was merrily mocking him to wake up. Turning off the alarm he headed out of his room towards the shower. The warm water certainly did a good job of removing the tension that the alarm had built into his body. He quickly dried off and got changed before he walked downstairs for breakfast, turning on the TV as usual on the way to the kitchen to see if there was any more news on the flare. He nearly missed pouring cereal into the bowl on the table as he heard the main news headline. "A second larger, and faster moving, solar flare is now heading towards earth. Scientists say GPS, Mobile, wireless communications and air travel are highly likely to be affected to some extent and disruption to power and communications infrastructure is possible." Sam quickly added milk to his cereal before seating himself on his favourite seat with his cereal in hand.

"That is so unlikely to be impossible," he muttered to himself between mouthfuls of cereal. "The weather today is looking windy with plenty of sunshine, max temperature 4°C. The clear skies tonight should give a good opportunity to view the Aurora Borealis caused by the solar flares although wrap up warm as the temperature will drop to as low as -8°C in more rural areas. Tomorrow will be fine in the morning with a band of snow arriving later in the afternoon, max temperature 1°C." Sam was just lost in his own thoughts given he was unconsciously trying to shovel the cereal, from the now empty bowl that was in hand, into his mouth. He looked down and smiled when he saw the empty bowl and the spoon half way between it and his mouth, then realised he was going to be late for work if he was not careful.

He quickly washed his bowl and then headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth. It was only a couple of minutes before he was in his car and heading to work.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Work was less busy than usual given that there were probably a few who were suffering from the Christmas party. Around everyone else that was in work there was a distinct nervousness with various people wondering how relatives travelling by air would be affected by any air transport disruption and whether they would make it in time for Christmas.

"How many more problems are people going to have with their computers today?" Tony was seemingly a little grouchy this morning.

"If you hadn't drunk as much yesterday then you would be feeling much happier this morning."

"What is a party without drinking to excess Sam?" Sam gave no response as he did not know whether it was rhetorical or not. "It is nothing, I just wish there was some cure to the morning after."

"I am not saying anything about judging your tolerance better the night before."

"I did not have that much Sam."

"If you count seven pints and ten vodka shots as not much then you are correct Tony." Sam could only laugh at his bewildered expression. Imogen from sales was always the approachable friendly character even if she was a little eccentric in keeping her desk precisely sorted.

"I cannot remember drinking that much Imogen."

"I sat at the bar and I have a decent memory, trust me Tony, you did. Anyway I think there is a problem with the server as I keep getting request timed out messages." Sam quickly opened the monitoring software to find that indeed one of them had failed.

"Tony, server seven has failed to restart."

"Ok I will go and fix it. If I haven't fixed it by two then I am leaving it until after Christmas." Sam nodded a look of disappointment on his face. He would rather be downstairs in the server room than up here but given Tony was the head of department he could not argue.

"We appreciate you coming to tell us Imogen. Most people today would rather twiddle their thumbs and wait until home time given it is the last day before Christmas."

"It is funny how you should say that, people have been unplugging keyboards, inverting mice and other silly things like that this morning to try and get out of work."

"That would explain the amount of computers I have had to fix already." Sam takes a look at the time on the computer. "Nice, lunchtime."

"I best get some lunch so I can start work as soon as the server is back. Have a good Christmas Sam."

"You too Imogen." She left as Sam dug out a sandwich before doing a bit of searching around on the internet. Current estimates on the flares were putting the estimated time of them hitting earth at about six this evening. Sam left the desk to go down to the server room, his sandwich in hand.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Bloody thing." Tony seemed annoyed at the fact the servers RAM had failed for the second time in a week. "Sam, I thought I said I would handle this?"

"You did, however while I was having my lunch I did some searching around on the flares that are to hit. I would guess it would be better if we disconnected all of the office computers and non-essential servers."

"What time is it to hit?"

"About six." Tony seemed to contemplate a few things as he swapped the broken memory for new ones.

"Well as you know I need to leave at two so you will be on your own to disconnect what you need to. Can you label where all the cables go though as you remove them?"

"Of course, that would take longer than an hour to do though." Tony pressed the on button on the server which made it burst back into life.

"Right that should be ok in an hour or so as I assume the RAID array will need to rebuilt. I will speak to John about closing the office earlier for Christmas." Sam nodded and the pair went back upstairs.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

John was a fairly good boss but he liked everything doing to the book which got on quite a few peoples nerves. It was just approaching the end of the lunch break when he walked out of his office and stood in the middle of the building where everyone had a good chance to hear what he was to say.

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make." The floor fell silent with just the fans in the computers producing a low level noise. "As you all probably know we have a couple of solar flares heading towards us this evening. To ensure that none of the equipment is damaged we need time to disconnect it. So, as of three o'clock you are all on Christmas holidays." As is usual there was one or two who were overenthusiastic enough to shout "whoop." It did however seem to cheer everyone up even if it was only an extra two hours off.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Shiala, is there any particular reason you set a course for our next region to be mapped instead of one that was known?" Kriana stated in a slightly confused manner looking for the first time at the map on the cockpits console.

"If we could save the ship then why not continue with the mission. Also most of the mapped systems that we were close to had no decent planets for resources."

"What resources will we need to get the ship back to citadel space and get it repaired?" Kriana seemed to be thinking ahead now to what will happen.

"We could do with a space dock, but water is about the only essential item that we need. We can get any wire that we need from the damaged systems in the ship if they are not too difficult to get at or damaged beyond use." Adrasta chimed in given there was nothing else to do as everything was practically dead.

"We could do with splitting into two teams then. Shiala and Adastra you can have the job of water finding and collection. Emala, Fosanta and myself will take the wiring." A childish excitement seemed to start building in Emala and she could hold it back no longer.

"Does that mean I get to rip panels off the walls mother?" A big grin plastered on her face.

"Possibly, but no promises Emala. Does everyone know what they are to do?" Everyone nodded to Kriana before going back to twiddling their thumbs, unable to do anything until the ship was stationary. The ships computer estimated just over four hours before they would drop out of FTL.

"I just wish the time went faster given there is literally nothing to do in a nearly dead ship in the middle of nowhere." Everyone else nodded in agreement to Adastra's comment.

**5:06pm 23rd December 2016**

The Asari brace to drop out of FTL as the Enlightens computer counts down, 3, 2, 1. The five crew saw a solar system suddenly appear out of the cockpit windows.

"Oh that..." Adastra cut herself off as she checked something on the console. "Shiala can you try and work out what is causing the shields to shimmer."

"That light is the shields?"

"Yes Kriana. If we have just landed in a system with high coronal activity then we have an interesting problem."

"Interesting in what way?" Kriana did not like the sound of that.

"Well if the shields fail then the ship, and possibly ourselves, will be subject to high energy radiation." Fosanta looked at the screen which Shiala had brought up with interest.

"I think we are ok in the Enlighten Adastra as long as the shields have not suffered badly in the core discharge. We will however be unable to start repairs until the activity subsides as we will need to disconnect the fusion core." Adastra nodded in agreement to Fosanta.

"Adastra, the planet you can see to your right out of the window looks like a garden world."

"That is the best news I have heard since the attack Shiala. Fosanta, would a shuttles shielding protect us from the flare?"

"It is a guess but you should be fine given the size of the star and the current readings if they are accurate."

"Kriana is it ok if we leave now?"

"Yes, just be very careful and be prepared for anything as we do not know if there is life on the planet or if the readings are even correct." Adastra nodded before looking towards Shiala. The pair of them stood before walking to the lift to go to deck three.

"Kriana, there is going to be no way we can stay in contact with them even if we get the short range communications array working."

"Is that because of the flare Fosanta." She nodded to Emala who seemed content to just sit around for now.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam was running around the offices turning off and disconnecting all the computers and network equipment, labelling each as he goes. He was just disconnecting the final few machines in the corner of the building when out of the corner of his eye the dusk sky started to display brilliant opalescent streams of light. After pulling the last cable he decided to wait for the second flare to hit in about twenty minutes.

"Well it looks nice but I could do with going home." Sam mused to himself noting it was eleven minutes past five. He pulled out an office chair placed it facing the window before sitting down.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Estimated time to landing twenty five minutes Shiala. It seems the flare has peaked so we should be ok."

"I am glad to hear." Shiala hoped that it was to be an easy ride. Adastra tried using the shuttles sensors but she could get no readings on anything given the interference from the flare.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The Enlighten's shields glow a brilliant orange lighting up the whole of the inside of the cockpit. "Goddess, what caused that Fosanta?"

"A larger flare behind the first. I hope Adastra notices it coming."

"Can you... Oh." Kriana suddenly remembered that the communications array was fried.

"I see you realised the problem." Kriana nodded to Fosanta before taking a seat in the pilot's chair.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Shiala, we have a problem."

"What is it Adastra?"

"There is life on this planet, I see satellites." The inside of the cabin lights up a bright yellow before dimming. "Goddess." Adastra moved as much power to the shields as possible to keep them stable. "We are going to have shield failure shortly."

"Can we not get back to the ship?" Shiala really did not want to have to wait on the planet if Adastra had indeed seen satellites.

"No it is further to get back to the ship than it is to land. If this planet has life then it should have some natural protection from such flares so we should only be a few moments more before we are also protected to some extent. We will however have to wait the flares activity out before we can return."

"Have you forgotten about the life on the planet?" Adastra smiled to herself at the oversight.

"Yes. I would however rather risk first contact than dying from radiation exposure."

"As long as you can land us somewhere as quiet as possible."

"I will see what I can do."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam continued to look out of the window of the office towards the wispy coloured glow of the night's sky. The calm before the storm. A few seconds later the town dropped into darkness as he sat there with the glow of the aurora on his face. He waited about a minute before the diesel generator in the basement began to provide backup power to the building and the strip lights flicker back on. Sam stood up and moved the chair back to its usual position before going to the basement to see how the servers coped with the outage.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Shiala heard a warning beep emanating from the front of the shuttle. "Adastra could I ask what that beep is?"

"It is just warning me the shields have failed. I hate to be the bringer of bad news but the flare has also destroyed some of the sensors and one or two drive systems."

"Can we still land safely?"

"Well it is too late to back out now as we have fortunately entered the atmosphere. The backup systems and the working ones give me fairly good control so landing should not be too bad. The good news is it seems to be water so if I do mess up at least we are not guaranteed to die."

"You are really the best person to have around in this sort of situation Adastra."

"You know you like having me around really." Adastra smiled to herself as Shiala shook her head in a disapproving manner.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**More will be posted shortly as leaving it here is a little mean.**

**13/10/2013 - Chapter updated to a re-edited version. **


	6. Chapter 6 : Dropping In

**Chapter 6 - Dropping in**

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><p>"This is VB news, our top story this evening. In the last hour we have received reports that the council supported exploration vessel, the ASL-Enlighten, has been attacked and presumed destroyed. Details at the moment are scarce. We however know that all but nine crew members have been recovered, with a further four known to have survived. Turian military vessels will continue searching local systems for the ship and the missing crew. No names of who is missing have yet been announced."<p>

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I must apologise for having to bring you all here to give this news." The Asari Councillor felt a little disappointment that she had to deliver this news. Matriarch Benezia, a couple of representatives from both the University of Serrice and Armali Council were patiently waiting for her to continue. "As you may already know we got a distress message from the ASL-Enlighten as it was attacked on the eleventh. Our help arrived at the co-ordinates on the fifteenth to find no sign of the Enlighten."

"Why wait so long to give us any more news if they arrived on the fifteenth?"

"It was a difficult and slightly puzzling recovery. The recovery vessels found twenty of the crew in a Batarian mining colony. After extracting them they said there were at least four more individuals known to have escaped. The extraction teams found logs indicating that they were taken to Omega."

"The chances of getting them back are fairly slim then." Benezia did have a point. Aria was rather difficult to negotiate with considering she disliked the council interfering with anything on her station.

"We are due to open negotiation channels tomorrow to try and find them." Benezia nodded.

"Do we know that the Enlighten was destroyed?"

"That was what was confusing everyone. Using the ships specifications they would have needed to discharge the mass effect cores before making another long distance FTL journey. The most suitable planet was guarded by plasma cannons and there were two cruisers patrolling the others. They found no wreckage and no sign at all of the Enlighten ever being there."

"So they used the ships normal thrusters to get away?"

"The rescue vessels have scoured nearly every system in the cluster trying to find the ship and have turned up nothing. They are estimating they will be completed by the fourth of January. If they are not found by that time the recovery vessels will return and we will have to declare the Enlighten lost and the five crew members missing presumed killed."

"Do you know who the five are?" Benezia hoped that Shiala was not amongst them.

"Kriana, Fosanta, Adastra, Shiala and Emala. I apologise Benezia." Benezia gave a reluctant nod of acceptance.

"I have heard a few rumours of ships surviving a core discharge. They did not get far afterwards however since they needed extensive repairs. How long can they survive assuming food and water as the bare minimum?" The Asari representative from Armali seemed rather knowledgeable about ships.

"They received extra food, at beginning of the month. So, assuming they can access water, another seventeen months." The Salarian representative from Serrice calculated the time they could last in his head remarkably quickly.

"Ok, I will give them two years to return before they will be confirmed dead. Until then I would like nobody to mention who the missing five are." The Councillor got a nod of agreement from each individual present.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I can see what I think are cities Adastra." Adastra looked closer to see that the few lights she could see were in evident clusters.

"The cities do not look that big but our biggest problem is going to be landing. A smooth landing is going to drop us into an ocean. I have my eye on a large island which seems to be the next best option."

"As long as both ourselves and the shuttle survive."

"I was only warning you as it looks like a fairly rough landscape."

"I will hold on." Shiala looked out of the window to her left and tried not to think about the likely rough landing.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Pieces of junk." Sam vented his anger at a pair of uninterruptable power supplies which had failed to do their job. "I hope there has been no damage." He mused to the four racks of servers, hoping that he was not going to have to spend Christmas fixing everything.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Will thirty kilometres (~18.5 miles) from a small city and eight (5) from a settlement be ok Shiala?" Shiala tried to think back to her commando training for a quick answer but one was not forthcoming. "It is too late to pull out now. I have found a nice clearing in some trees which should hide the shuttle reasonably well. It also seems to be quite close to a lake as well."

"I like that good news." Adastra just missed the top of some trees before the shuttle got blown slightly sideways by the wind.

"This is not going to be easy, hold on." Shiala braced herself against the tank that was in front of her as Adastra slammed the shuttle onto the ground with way too much forward momentum. Not expecting the ground to be frozen solid the shuttle skidded as if it was on an ice rink towards the edge of the clearing. "This might hurt." Adastra managed to get out as the side of the shuttle hit a tree which straightened up the shuttle's path into the undergrowth. The shuttle stopped dead as it hit a pine tree square on, the top of the shuttle getting covered in dead pine needles as the tree swayed slightly.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

It is four hours before Sam was happy that all the servers were ok and he decided to go home. He had sent a message to Tony that the backup generator would need refilling in five days given the servers will have to run off it until the uninterruptable power supplies are repaired. He got to his car and started the engine, the radio turned on a second later making him jump, nearly deafening him with static. "Shit" Sam shouted in shock as he stabbed at the power off button on the radio. He decided to sit for a while to calm down a little before setting off on to the cities streets.

It was not long before Sam was sat admiring the shimmering effect in the sky when he could, in-between blowing his horn and fuming behind the wheel at people being stupid when the traffic lights in the town centre were not working.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Argh, that hurts." Adastra rubbed her head. "Shiala, are you alright?" A lack of response forced Adastra to stand up and slightly unsteadily make her way down the shuttle to where Shiala was sat. It was obvious from the large dint in the side of the tank that she had hit her head. "Shiala?" Adastra was beginning to panic a little. Taking a deep breath to try and calm her nerves she looked to see if Shiala had any other injuries. It was clear the first hit on the side of the shuttle had broken some of the bracing from around the tank. "Oh, Goddess." Adastra noticed the large gash on Shiala's left thigh, her commando leathers were doing a reasonably good job of holding the wound closed. The blood had congealed and only a few drops seemed to have made it to the floor.

Adastra had to decide if it was worth making first contact or not. They could stay in the shuttle as they had food and some water. The partially converted shuttle however was really not ideal to stay in for any length of time.

"Adastra?" Shiala sounded a little weary and pained as she opened her eyes.

"Are you ok?"

"I feel disorientated and..." Adastra stopped Shiala grabbing her leg. Shiala looked to Adastra with a confused look before looking down. "...it seems I cut my leg."

"What do you think we should do Shiala as it would certainly be a little unpleasant if we have to stay here a couple of days?"

"I do not mind waiting but I can feel a cold draught." Adastra started looking around for the source of the cool breeze. She made her way to the door on the back of the shuttle and she moved her hand around to quickly find the offending draught.

"Great, the hit on the side of shuttle must have damaged the door seal. I can feel the air coming in." Shiala sighed.

"I cannot believe I am going to say this but we could do with getting somewhere warm. There is no way this shuttle is going to stay warm with a damaged seal unless we run the thruster which would give us away."

"I have no idea what to do in this situation."

"I thought you went to military academy?"

"I did for a week." Shiala looked at Adastra in confusion. "Long story Shiala. Do you have any advice?"

"Have a look around to see if you can see any signs of life, just do not go to any settlements. We ideally want just one of the species so see if you can find a way to single one out."

"I will have a quick look around. I will be back soon." Shiala nodded but still felt a little disorientated. Adastra opened the back door with a little help from her shoulder to be greeted with an icy blast of cold air. The air temperate was minus seven Celsius outside but the strong wind was making that feel quite a bit colder. It was not long before Adastra was shivering, her breath making clouds of smoke as she breathed out. She worked her way through the undergrowth towards the lake until she came across a black strip of ground. Thinking back to history class in school she remembered one particular lesson about ground based transportation using wheels, 'Surely not.' she thought to herself. Adastra a few moments later could hear something coming and so she scrambled back into the undergrowth with just a small view of the road through the shrubs. She could barely contain her surprise as the car went past her. She began to make her way back to talk to Shiala, an obvious excitement in her step. She entered the shuttle, "Shiala they have vehicles with wheels." Adastra closed the door and was rather glad to get out of the biting cold.

"About what size Adastra?" Adastra held her hands about half a metre apart. "So they are tiny vehicles?"

"Oh, I thought you meant the wheels. No it was about the same size as a Skycar."

"Hmmm. Try and find a way to stop one of them. Make sure none of them run anywhere." Adastra nodded with a little trepidation as she went back outside, braving the cold chill once again. She climbed through the undergrowth again to approach the road before looking around for something suitable to stop a vehicle. Looking up she saw a large rotting branch overhanging the entire road. "That should do." She said to herself as she looked around for any signs of life. Once she was happy she gave the branch a quick biotic pull, snapping it clean from the tree. Adastra winced slightly as the branch crashed on to the asphalt surface with a resonating thud. She admired her handiwork for a few moments before moving back into the shrubs to keep an eye open for anyone.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam was soon on the country road that went around by the lake side. The lake was mostly obscured by a stone wall in a car and the trees did not help either. The other side of the road was usually pockets of trees or farmland. Sam yawned before looking down at the clock on the dashboard noting that it said nine forty six. He was tempted to see if he could get back home before ten especially given the road at this time of night was practically dead.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**How can I leave it here? I am a little mean at times, sorry everyone. You will find out in the next chapter which will be posted shortly so keep checking back.**

**13/10/2013 - Chapter updated to a re-edited version. **


	7. Chapter 7 : Chilly? Reception

**Chapter 7 - Trust**

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><p><strong>9:47pm 23rd December 2016<strong>

Sam was glad he did not decide to go down the lead foot route to get home before ten as just around a blind corner there was a large branch over the entire road. "You have to be having a laugh." He voiced to no one as he stopped the car before sitting there looking at the branch. It did look fairly old and starting to rot so given the wind it was not too surprising but it was still an inconvenience.

Sam reached over for his coat that was on the back seat when in the corner of his vision he saw a person near the undergrowth waving their arms around but not saying a word. The moving shadows and inadequate lighting from the aurora made it difficult to distinguish anything more than a basic outline. Sam grabbed his coat and a torch out of the glove compartment and turned off the engine of the car but left the lights on. He had had enough surprises tonight, someone nicking his car and leaving him to walk home in the cold was not going to be another. He turned on the torch and pointed it in the direction he saw the person in, he just saw someone go into the undergrowth. He was thinking of leaving them but then thought they might be willing to help him move this large branch, so with fear of the unknown making him extremely edgy he begins to walk towards the undergrowth thinking, what the hell am I doing. The aurora made quite weird shadows which did not help calm Sam's nerves as he approached the undergrowth. He pointed the torch through the gap he saw someone go through but the shrubbery was too dense to see anything through. Carefully moving the branches aside he carefully checks to his sides as he began to move forward.

Sam was mighty glad the shrubs were not holly or brambles so it was fairly easy to proceed through. Each extra metre made him more and more nervous however with the moving shadows and the cold. He carefully moved a branch that allowed him to see something metallic underneath a pine tree. He cautiously approached the roughly minibus sized vehicle with some trepidation. It had no wheels and he could not understand the writing on the side. He could not work out how it had got there, especially given the dint in the front from where it hit the tree. Sam moved a little down the side and looked into one of the windows. All he could see was sheet metal, which confused him until he heard a branch snap to his right. Quickly he turned and moving the torch with him the beam landed on something humanoid shaped. "Shit."

It was now blatantly obvious that this person was not human as they had blue skin, no hair, turquoise markings on their face and weird, clearly inadequate clothing. All Sam could do was just stand there in shock.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra knew this was the time with the most risk, if he fled and told anyone they would not be getting off this planet. She tried to stand in an unthreatening way with a slight smile on her face and hoped the alien would move towards her. This was quite a bit more difficult to do given the cold was beginning to get to her.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam was torn, to run or to help. The former was being screamed into his head by the adrenaline coursing through his body, yet the non threatening look on the alien in front of him finally found that small amount of excitement he had been lacking for the last seven months. He took a few cautious steps closer until he was within three metres of the blue one, who was really starting to shiver in the cold biting wind. Knowing it was his move to make since it is his planet he turned the flashlight towards himself he said "Sam", then pointed the light back at the alien. He hoped beyond hope that she (if it was a she) would get what he was trying to get at.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra was hoping it would hurry up as it was ridiculously cold when she heard it say "Sam". Thoughts quickly go through her mind since the light was on it then surely its something about itself, species or name. It was a bit of a guessing game at this point as she needed to be on the same page to gain trust. "Adastra." She could only hope she had guessed correctly as that would be embarrassing later. The alien smiled however and took a step closer. 'It seems we have some kind of understanding' Adastra thought.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam was a little stunned when he heard "Adastra". He hoped Adastra had guessed right and it was her name. The blue one moved cautiously toward the rear of the vehicle with Sam keeping a close eye on her. When she stopped and opened the door of the shuttle, Sam carefully approached. The alien walked into the vehicle. Sam's brain was screaming this was a trap but curiosity got the better of him. Making sure he could not be easily pulled in he looked through the door and could see the alien with what looked like a seconds head.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra was starting to get slightly annoyed at the speed at which this basic communication was progressing, even if it was intriguing to see how the new species would react. She had grown up with automatic translators which converted everything that was spoken into the correct language. She had learnt bits of other languages such as Salarian over the years but that was hardly going to help here.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

It looked as if she was trying to help the second person out of the, what looked a little like the interior of a bus. Sam felt the least he could do was get them somewhere warm as they both look like ice cube people. With that he gingerly climbed in.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra was glad it seemed to have realised what they needed, a little help. It was a little intriguing quite how much can be done with only two words. Shiala turned to look at the alien as it approached giving a smile to hopefully reassure it. It still stopped seemingly weary of their intentions.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam tried to carefully work out quite what had happened. It was obvious it was a bad landing given the shuttle had gone into the tree. Realisation dawns as he sees a dint, at head height, in the metal box in front of the purple skinned one. He looks down to see a piece of sharp metal sticking out close to the alien's leg with a small amount of dark purple liquid on the floor.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra puts her arm behind Shiala before helping her shuffle sideways off the seat to avoid the metal and helping her to her feet. Shiala did not have to fake her limp as her leg really did have a little pain when she put pressure upon it.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam really did not know what to do. It is impossible to know what this species could do and while he tried to believe everyone was friendly and caring there is usually a self interest motive involved. He just hoped the self interest was the fact one of them was injured and they both looked cold. Having enough of the waiting around he gestures them to follow him hoping that they understood.

Shiala tried to lean on Adastra as little as possible but it was still interesting as they worked their way through the undergrowth towards the car.

Shiala was shocked at the transport these people had as it was really rather basic. She just hoped that where they were going was not somewhere densely populated where it would be easy for them to be seen. They really did not have a massive option however so she just goes with it.

Sam opened the back passenger door and moved back a little hoping they understood what to do. The two of them move towards the door and the blue one helps the purple one into the car. Surprisingly the blue one also shuts the door which confuses Sam a little. A gust of wind blows down the back of Sam's coat collar which breaks his curious interest and forces his mind back on to the task at hand. Sam moves to the thick end of the branch and tries pushing it. The blue one gets the idea and helps Sam move the branch just enough to get the car past. Sam then went back towards the car and opened the driver's side rear door so that the blue one could sit with her friend. He was not sure if it was a good idea to have the two of them behind him while his concentration was facing forward but since they did not seem to want to hurt him he thought it would be better if they were close to each other.

Sam got in threw the torch into the passenger foot well before starting the engine. He looked at the clock in the dashboard and he did not quite believe it when it said ten twenty seven. It was a little strange driving at getting towards half past ten at night, in the middle of winter, in what was roughly equivalent to dusk given the streaks of light overhead. The light did not really register though as it had just been the most weird day imaginable.

It only took about ten minutes travel the four miles back to Sam's house. The two Asari could only smile when they saw that its house was on the outskirts of the settlement and detached. It looked fairly small but that hardly mattered at this point in time. Sam stopped the car in the driveway and got out, going to the rear door on his side first and opening it before then going to unlock the front door of the house. By the time Sam had unlocked the front door and turned around to head back the two of them were heading towards him. Sam was glad he had backup power for lighting at this point as the power supply to his house was out and he could tell the heating in the house had not been on this evening either. He put the light on in the living room and showed the two of them to the three seat sofa. Sam then took a few logs from the small pile that was beside the fireplace along with a few pieces of kindling and a sheet of paper, placed them in a pile in the hearth and lit the paper.

It was not long before they were all basking in the glow of a hot fire as the faint smell of apples, from the burning apple wood, wafted through the house. The two of them certainly looked happier and warmer than they had when Sam had picked them up. "Adastra, we need to understand the language of this species to make this unexpected meeting a little more comfortable for both of us." Adastra agreed with a nod. Sam looked on with suspicion as the fact they were communicating did not make him feel all that safe in their presence.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**So we have two aliens who just happen to have dropped in just before Christmas, how convenient. I am sure if you know Mass Effect then you can guess what is next.**

**Reviews and comments are always nice to read if you have the time to make one.**

**13/10/2013 - Chapter updated with re-edited version.**


	8. Chapter 8 : Understanding

**Chapter 8 - Understanding**

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><p>Adastra from her seat on the sofa looked at Sam sat on the single seat opposite and when he looked back at her she pointed to herself and said "Adastra". Shiala was a little perplexed at how basic the communication was that got them in this situation. She however did the same as Adastra, pointing to herself and saying "Shiala". Sam nodded in acknowledgement thinking he was lucky they had understood what he had tried to communicate. He then saw Shiala shuffle along the sofa leaving a gap on the end. She then placed her hand on the empty seat and moved it shortly thereafter. Sam got the hint but was a little apprehensive at what was about to happen. He thought being in his own house on his own turf would be comforting but instead it was increasing his anxiety that they were just waiting for the right time.<p>

Shiala was indeed waiting but tiredness was starting to set in. It was drilled into her back in the days when she was training as a commando that it was never a good idea to let your guard down. She would feel better knowing a bit more about this species before she slept. It was obvious when Sam finally sat down that he clearly was not comfortable in this situation. Sam was sitting upright with his back not touching the back of the sofa and sitting quite a distance away from Shiala. Shiala decided to sit up to match Sam's posture and looked into the brown eyes of the alien with a look of sadness in her own.

Sam was wondering why Shiala's green eyes were looking sorrowful when he heard two words and his brain felt like someone was repeatedly pushing a hot poker into it. Sam just thought that it was the end, as no matter how hard he tried to fight back he was not winning back control and so gave up fighting. Quickly the blackness and searing pain relented and he found himself in an old library with dusty books on shelves packed high and far. At the end of the shelves where he currently stood there was a single desk, an old wooden chair with red upholstery and behind it was a fire. The flames suddenly went from a fiery red to a more pleasant but yet chilling ice blue before starting to flicker in time to someone talking as if it were the flames themselves speaking.

"I am sorry about this Sam. I needed to know how to communicate with yourself and to see if you would be a problem for us. My deepest apologies." Sam just thought to himself, 'that sort of makes sense given they would probably be locked up and experimented upon if they were found.' To his amazement the flames replied.

"I am glad you see our point of view". At that moment he looked to his left as he was facing the desk and the fire to see a large door open and two robots that looked like bins with arms rolled in. Each bin having a handful of books in as they trundled off loudly on the stone flooring down the isles. As soon as they were out of sight the dim overhead lighting suddenly went out and before he could think anything he was back in his home, on the sofa facing Shiala who had something between a grimace and a smile on her face.

Sam was thirsty and had a terrible headache. Wondering quite what had just happened he tried standing up from the sofa and falling back to where he had just been. His head felt like someone had poured diet coke into his head before pushing a pack of Mentos in and sealing it. Shiala lost the grimace to leave just the smile. "Sorry again Sam but it was for the best. You would have felt quite a bit of pain as I was trying to find your language but I felt you relax towards the end." Sam was shocked he had an Asari sitting in front of him talking, if you omitted the pauses between groups of words, in fairly good English. He then did a double take inside is own head.

"How do I know what species you are? Where you are from? That there are a number of other alien species in the galaxy and roughly how you got here?" Sam felt a slight bit of relief getting those questions out in to the open as this was well beyond most people's comprehension.

"I am sorry if you have suffered. You helped me with what I sought and so I felt it was only fair that I gave you something back, a token of appreciation if you will." Shiala's calming voice reassuring Sam whose mind was still boggling at what had just happened.

"Thank you... I think," was all Sam could say before he had to get something to drink. Just about managing to stay standing after getting off the sofa, he carefully made his way towards the kitchen using furniture and walls to steady himself as he went. He could hear what sounded like words being exchanged in the other room but was more interested in a glass of water. Shiala got up and walked into the kitchen area looking around as she moved towards Sam, trying to put words to the items she could see in her mind.

"Sam I know this experience has affected you, but, Adastra would be honoured if you could teach her too." Sam had evidently taken the request a little badly given the glass that was under the tap had now been overflowing for several seconds and he was making no effort to turn the tap off. Shiala stepped to the side of him and turned it off. "I could give her the information but it would not have the same thoughts, feelings and inherent understanding behind each of the words. We can give you some time to recover but I am leaving the final decision up to you." The long day, the improbable odds and the connection was starting to catch up to Sam. He turned his head towards Shiala who was standing to the side of him with the perfect example of an expressively neutral face.

"Could this wait until tomorrow as it has been a long day? I am not sure I could go through that again without some sleep first." Shiala looked a little saddened by this response.

"If you could manage it tonight then it would be better Sam. It is always easier when you know what to expect and now I can talk you through what to do, it should make it much less difficult."

Sam followed Shiala back to the sofa with a weighty decision on his shoulders; he dropped on the vacant seat in between the two Asari carefully studying a small bit of dust floating on the top of the water in his glass. After a couple of minutes of trying to get the dust to the side of the glass by tilting it in various directions, and it stubbornly refusing to do so, he turned to the younger Asari who was to the right of him nearest the fire. "I'm..." His refusal refused to turn down Adastra who with her head resting on the top of the sofas back and a small smile on her face looked happy. Sam turned back to his glass with a tear running down his cheek, the first sign of his mental cracks starting to bubble to the surface. His mind laying the guilt upon itself for contemplating making someone unhappy, something he had seven months experience with and wouldn't wish on anyone else. He turned back to face Adastra to try and say sorry but all he can do is let a couple more tears roll down his face.

Adastra was optimistic that he would help her after Shiala had talked to him but she was certainly not expecting this visceral show of emotion. Maybe it was the melding that just nudged something in his mind, something that had previously been stored away behind other items and was now on show for all to see. "Shiala, can you ask him if he trusts me?" Sam looked teary eyed to Shiala. She was feeling a little guilty as it could have been her fault but she had to play the role of go between for now.

"Adastra asked if you trust her?" Could he trust a total stranger who he had only known for barely three hours and was not even from this planet? The thought went around and around in his head like it was in a washing machine. He after a few seconds wiped his tears away and turned towards the concerned face of Adastra. After taking a deep breath he felt he could trust her enough to connect and so he nodded to Adastra.

Shiala who was behind him knew what was going to happen, and judging by Sam's actions, she thought he did too. "Sam, close your eyes and relax. Let Adastra's presence feel like your own, reach out grab that connection as if your survival depended upon it. Try and bring it closer to yourself." With that she gave Adastra a nod over Sam's right shoulder.

"Embrace eternity." Shiala looking on as Adastra's eyes turn from green to black, hoping Sam had taken her words to heart.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam was back in the dusty library with hardly any effort on his part this time. Shiala did say it would be easier second time but this was a massive improvement. He found himself sat at the desk this time with the roaring fire gently warming his back through the chair and his shadow looming over most of the shelves in the library. Hearing footsteps approaching he quickly closed the book that was on the desk. He looked towards the source of the noise to see Adastra who was walking towards him from down one of the isles to his left.

"I think I found most of what I needed. I did not dig into anything that was not obvious, you can tell me or let me look at that information at a later date if you wish." Sam just gave her a nod and looked down at the book that was on the desk in front of him. Adastra came closer and looked carefully at the book. She could clearly see that it had seen years, perhaps decades worth of wear. The brown leather cover was cracking and had clearly been damaged a little around the edges. The pages were crinkled with a few tears. She thought this must be either his best memory, biggest secret or biggest life changing moment and judging by its state it must be from Sam's childhood.

Sam got up out of the chair and moved the desk lamp so that Adastra would be able to read the severely faded text on the cover. He then nodded to her before facing the fire with his back towards the table. Adastra moved closer and looked carefully at the cover before taking a step back. The title could not be correct there was no way. The one had to be a zero on the year. She stepped forward and peered even closer, moving the lamp around to see if the faded title had become so faded as to be ambiguous. It was not to be the case. The book was simply entitled "Saturday 14th May 2016". Reality suddenly dawned on Adastra that it must fall into the biggest life changing moment. She could feel this ethereal presence settle upon the room, looking towards Sam with his back towards her she could only say "I am sorry, I will leave this book alone if I return." Sam turned around showing Adastra a face with no happiness, no enjoyment, no laughter and nowhere to go. Tears were streaming down his face and his nose running as if his brain was trying to escape the internal torment. He got a tissue from his pocket wiped his face and blew his nose before throwing it into the fire to dispose of it. With a deep breath he cautiously moved towards the desk, gingerly picking up the book and looking at the cover once more. With all the strength he could gather he held out the book to Adastra.

"I would like you to have this. It may not be a good read..." He tried to steady the shaking book in his hands but with no success. "it just seems right..." The tears starting to reform in the corners of his eyes as he looks towards Adastra who seems lost as to what to do or say. "Given you trusted me earlier this evening. I should return the favour." He looks back down at the book with a tear dripping on to the cover and soaking through the cracked leather.

Adastra was shocked. She had not expected any payback for her trust, and certainly not one that was so close to Sam's heart. "I am sorry Sam. I really cannot accept your only copy of this." Sam shamefully looked towards the floor.

"That isn't my only copy." Adastra really did not want to dig the hole further but curiosity got the better of her.

"Is this the second copy then?" Sam looked a little pained at that question Adastra feeling guilty for even asking.

"It is not the original, I made four copies and I have destroyed two though overuse, this is the third." Was about all he could manage to mumble before renewed tears started falling again.

Adastra walked around the desk a saddened expression on her face. She carefully took the book from Sam and placed it on the corner of the desk out of the way. Sam wondered why she had not left immediately but was not left wondering long when the Asari took an extra pace forward and gave Sam a cautious hug. She whispered into Sam's ear, "I cannot thank you enough for this; I know it means an awful lot to you. I will leave now." With that she broke the hug off, forced a smile at Sam who gave a nod and a slight curl to the edge of his frown and headed out of the door with the book close to her chest.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam was back looking at the warm fire and Adastra who was looking slightly shaken by the experience. He could not concentrate too well given he felt like he had the flu, a migraine and had not slept for a week. "Shiala, Adastra I'm going to get some sleep. I hope both of you do too." He gives both of them a shaky hug with Shiala wondering what the hell it was for. Sam just about manages the six paces before collapsing on to the seat opposite. It was only about a minute from him hitting the fabric to being fast asleep. The two Asari looked at each other before settling down in a top and tail fashion on the sofa.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**If anyone wants to know how they can learn English so quickly and so well then call it artistic licence. I could not have deliberate misspellings and the process taking weeks to learn otherwise the story would be boring and difficult to read.**

**There will be more posted once I have finished adding some extra polish to the next few chapters.**

**13/10/2013 - Chapter updated with re-edited version.**


	9. Chapter 9 : Finding Out

**Chapter 9 - Finding Out**

* * *

><p><strong>24th December 2016<strong>

A loud beep came from the kitchen and Shiala sat up quickly wondering if they were compromised. Her rapid movement woke Adastra who was distinctly groggier than Shiala as she wiped the sleep from her eyes and squinted towards the new source of coloured light in the corner of the room. The aurora in the early morning sky was more a tinge of colour than the strings of neon lighting it was last night. It was certainly no match for the Christmas tree lights however.

Carefully getting up she went to find the bathroom. Once she got back Adastra was sat up still looking half asleep. "Morning Shiala."

"Morning, Adastra. What happened last night as you looked like you had been slapped around with a wet sunfish." Shiala tried to stay as quiet as possible so as not to wake Sam.

"Errmmm" Adastra rubbed her head as the attempted to think of how to explain it. "He had something on his mind he wished to share." The question of oh really was just ready to be let loose from the sly grin that was painted on Shiala's face when Adastra continued. "No not like that." Shiala just smiled but said nothing, the speed of the denial being a bit quick. At that Sam started to stir in the chair and rubbed his eyes before squinting towards the sofa, the two Asari who had turned to face him looking back. He banged his head on the arm of the chair before looking back at the sofa.

"It is definitely not a dream then." The two Asari were a little confused as to why Sam had banged his head.

"Everything that happened last night is true." A touch of guilt hit Shiala after she said that.

"That would explain why my head feels as if it's splitting open. I'm sure I will be fine after something to eat. What would you two like?"

"I am sure anything you are making would be fine for us." Adastra, knowing from the meld they had a similar biology, looked to Sam with a warming smile. Shiala just nodded in agreement.

"Bacon buns all round it is then, after I've been to the loo."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The two Asari sit opposite Sam in the kitchen on stools at the small table that could seat two on each side. Sam put three large buns and three teas on the surface before he sat himself down and proceeded to squirt a load of tomato sauce into the bun before taking a bite.

"Are you two going to wait until it goes cold?" Sam struggled to get his words out around the large chunk of bacon bun occupying his mouth. "There's brown and tomato sauce for on it. I would recommend trying it without and then a bit of each before drowning it." They both do as Sam had suggested, trying each sauce first, Shiala preferred to have no sauce and Adastra preferred tomato.

"How did you find connecting a second time Sam?" Shiala wished to try and quieten her curiosity about last night.

"It was much less painful but still a bit difficult. I think most of that was from having a long, extremely strange day though." Shiala still did not quite believe either of them, but she could see she was not getting anywhere so just nodded in reply and carried on eating.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam took the empty plates to the sink which looked out on to the back garden. It was not an overly large space but he tried to keep it looking semi-reasonable. "Typical, a day early. It's never a white Christmas." Sam sounding a little annoyed as he watches a few snowflakes drifting by on the wind.

"What is this Christmas you speak of?" Shiala determined to get some kind of answer today.

"To keep it simple it is basically a winter celebration which has gathered various traditions from all over the place to be on one day. The name is taken from the religion Christianity, who believe that the son of their God was born on the twenty fifth of December."

"Is that tree with lights on one of the traditions?" Adastra curious as to why you would decorate a tree, let alone a fake plastic one.

"Yes. It is the only thing I put up this year given that I had no one to celebrate with." Sam suddenly wondered how the hell it had come around to that topic again as if it was haunting him.

"You have us." Adastra trying to lighten the mood, the smile to go along with it was a nice touch.

"While I appreciate your presence it's not quite the same as your parents. Is there something else we can talk about?" Shiala wondered if this is what Adastra had talked about having on his mind last night.

"What kind of technology do humans have?" Adastra quickly asked knowing full well how damaging it was for Sam to dwell on the loss of his parents. Sam seemed to get a bit of a spark back with that question.

"I have a few things in the basement I could show you, but since we haven't really got space travel solved yet I'm guessing the technology will look really, really old to you."

"That would be why I am interested Sam." Adastra seemed genuinely keen to know given they use wheels on vehicles.

"Follow me then." The two Asari follow Sam who opened the basement door by the front door and descended the fairly rough stone stairs down into a fairly large room that was packed with junk, a sofa, a small cupboard, a desk and a server rack. Shiala was being a bit more cautious down the stairs than Adastra.

"It is ok Shiala, it is not a trap." Adastra obviously needed to calm down a little.

"I know Adastra but my leg is just hurting a little." Shiala holding her left thigh.

"Shit. I had forgotten you were injured." Sam having a sudden sense of guilt and empathy wash over him, which was a little odd as they were aliens, not other humans. He goes rooting through the junk and pulls out a five litre tin, then goes to a tin box in the corner and picking out a roll of waterproof plaster.

"I will be fine." Shiala insisting.

"I think it would be better if the wound was closed, especially on an unknown planet with unknown infections." Sam cut a piece of the plaster off as he spoke. "I'm guessing you have an idea what to do?" Shiala just shook her head.

"We just have antiseptic glue that we use."

"This is a bit more low-tech. The alcohol should clean the wound and the glue is the plaster. Wash out the wound with the alcohol, then stick the plaster over the top." Shiala started removing her pants. "Do you want to do that now?" A shocked tone to his voice as his face goes a tiny bit red.

"I was not going to remove everything." Shiala laughed a little at Sam's reaction.

"Good." Sam does not seem all that comfortable with the situation. He rolls out the office chair from the desk and puts it behind Shiala, who duly sits down on it to look at the damage. "Are you good patching yourself up?"

"I would usually say yes but I have never used a plaster before Sam." Sam got this anxious feeling in his stomach knowing the alcohol will sting for a few moments. Also he did not really want to touch Shiala.

"Errm." Sam did not seem know quite what do to.

"Sam." He turned to Adastra. "I can see you are uncomfortable with the situation."

"I apologise, but yes, I am. It is just the fact that you are a different species that is worrying me." Sam turned to look back at Shiala. "It feels a little awkward Shiala."

"Sam, Asari tend to be comfortable with their bodies and I cannot see how you could harm me." Sam looked a little unconvinced. "I know it will probably be a little strange but you are going to have to start somewhere."

"It would at least help you get over that fear a little Sam." Sam heard from Adastra behind him. He decided to just get on with it and picked up the can of alcohol before taking off the lid.

"I must apologise but this may hurt a little." Shiala gave a nod and with that Sam poured the alcohol onto the wound. The neutral expression on Shiala's face turned to more of a grimace a few seconds later. Once the alcohol had dried Sam stuck the plaster over the top carefully, trying his best not to touch Shiala's purple leg any more than was necessary. "Supposedly the plaster is water proof but in my experience they tend to be more splash proof so just try and keep it dry." Shiala was already in the process of putting her trousers back on.

"Thank you Sam."

"I will try to help you both but it is a little difficult when you are both so new to me."

"You helped us yesterday Sam which we are also thankful for. I am however interested in knowing what everything is down here."

"Where would you like to start?" Sam was seemingly happier now he could concentrate on something else. Adastra pointed to the corner with the server rack so Sam began his explanation to the two Asari there.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam showed various items to the two Asari and answered copious amounts of questions, mostly from Adastra but occasionally a tougher question from Shiala. "The speed of the progress made is astounding." Adastra seemed to be under the impression that everything takes tens of years to get done instead of weeks. "Do you mind if I have a go on the computer?" Sam unplugged the tablet PC before picking it off the top of the desk and holding it out to Adastra.

"Sure, this does everything except high end games, it's also a touch screen so it should be easier to use."

"Thank you." A bit of a shock overcame Adastra as the rest of the equipment she had seen was cabled. This looked more like a datapad. "I may need a bit of help when I get stuck."

"Not a problem Adastra. I need a drink, lets head back upstairs." The three of them walked back up the stairs to the living room with Sam continuing on into the kitchen. Adastra had taken a seat on the sofa before prodding at the tablet. She soon before scrunched her face up as she became stuck.

"It wants a password and the hint of `it's not Password` is very helpful."

"It's passwood Adastra." Sam liked that password, he only used it for things which wanted a password but did not really need password protecting. "Would both of you like to try a coffee?"

"Sure." Adastra responded as she wondered what to do now on the tablet.

"I would indeed like to try a coffee Sam." Shiala said over her shoulder before taking a look over Adastra's shoulder at what was on the screen.

"What do you do on this now Sam? Oh wait, I think I've got it, it is showing a page with Google on it."

"Type what you want to know and press enter, you'll get a list of pages to find what you want to know." Sam was slightly glad the tablet went through the servers in the basement for the internet, thereby filtering illegal stuff.

Adastra and Shiala took it in turns over the rest of the day to use the internet to find out various pieces of information that could be useful later.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\-

"Is that really what humans perceive aliens to look like?" The two Asari watched the film closely while occasionally having a bit of their drink.

"There are so many variations and yet none of us look remotely like that." Adastra wondered quite why humans thought that aliens would look so weird.

"This is so unrealistic." Shiala's face showed that she was not joking but finding how bad the film was amusing.

"I know, but there is nothing better on as it is basically last years output repeated, given it's a public holiday tomorrow and all." Sam looked through the EPG on the tablet to find that the film would be ending in a couple of minutes.

As soon as the credits started to roll Adastra pointed towards the ceiling, made the end of her finger have a blue glow and said "ET phone home". Shiala's usually subdued emotion subsided into a laugh as Sam looked massively confused.

"You can make your fingers glow?"

"Its just built up energy in the nervous system moved to one point. Some Asari can put out a candle at ten paces." Adastra pretended to shoot from her finger as the blue energy evaporates. Shiala just shook her head with a smile.

"I think the drink is getting to you, I'll be back in a second." With that Sam went upstairs to look in his draws for gloves. He was rather surprised when he found four pairs, two pairs of black thermal gloves, a pair of stripy coloured woollen ones and Sam's favourites, which had a red pattern on the back of the hand otherwise, were black wool. With that he headed back downstairs with the gloves and put them down on the table.

"If you have that much energy, making snowmen shouldn't be a problem. I thought you might want something to keep your hands warm though." Sam seemed keen to at least get out of the house.

"We might be seen?" Shiala seemed to want to play the part of the party pooper, clearly in need to be plied with more alcohol.

"My back garden is not overlooked and it's dark, come on." Sam had already slipped on his favourite gloves.

As Sam opened the back door to see that the snow was up to the bottom of the door frame. "There must be nearly two inches of snow here, should do nicely." With that he launched himself out of the door to land in the snow with a solid crunch as his feet sank into the white blanket.

"What is a snowman Sam?" Adastra was at least seemingly keen to get going. Sam quickly made up a small snowman out of a couple of handfuls of snow.

"That's the classic quick snowman. I would be more impressed if it looks like you though."

"I can do that." Adastra made tracks, quite literally, from the back door to claim an untouched corner of the garden.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Your aim is awful Sam." Shiala mocked as yet another snowball went a touch wide of her. Adastra laughed at Sam's inability to hit her but the ability to make a fairly good outline on the brick wall of the house.

"Look at the wall behind you." Shiala looked to the wall behind her which got a small laugh.

"That is more impressive than your snowman." Sam just shrugged. He had decided to do a classic snowman as it left more time for flinging snowballs, although his aim was usually a little better. He put it down to tiredness and alcohol.

"I'm finished and I think my fingers are going to drop off. I'm going back inside to warm up. Also my snowman is cool." Sam intended the pun and had a good laugh when neither of the Asari seemed to get it.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

It was not too much longer before everyone was sat around the log fire, warming up with a brew in hand. Sam thought he would have an early night as it was Christmas tomorrow so after saying goodnight he headed off to bed. Just before Shiala got some shut eye she sent a message to the Enlighten.

_ASL-Enlighten,_

_I am not sure when you will receive this message but we crashed a little hard into the planets surface after the flare hit the shuttle. The shuttles door seal was damaged and I got a cut in my thigh hence why we were unable to request a pickup earlier. We are currently in a home of one of the native species and are being looked after well. The native species is very similar to our own which really surprised us. They seem to be rapidly improving technology wise and could probably build FTL space ships within three hundred years. Adastra seems to be getting along particularly well with the one that we have met. If you can find another opening for pickup then it would be appreciated._

_Shiala_

With that she stuck her head down to attempt to get sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**Day one with two aliens in the house. The question being what will Christmas day be like, find out in the next chapter.**

**13/10/2013 - Chapter updated with re-edited version.**


	10. Chapter 10 : Blue Christmas

**Chapter 10 - Blue Christmas**

* * *

><p><strong>25th December 2016<strong>

Shiala had claimed the sofa since it was warmer and Adastra was keen on the single room next to Sam's room upstairs. It was still well before sunrise when Shiala woke suddenly to her Omni-tool beeping at her, indicating an incoming message. She tried to shield her eyes from the glare of the screen in the dark room as she carefully read the message.

_Shiala,_

_We finally got your message. We hope that you are recovering from your injuries and you were not badly hurt. There is a likelihood of another flare soon but we have no sign of it yet. We will inform if we get any further news._

_I am curious about this species you speak of, especially so at the technological level they are at. I would tentatively offer them an invite to come onboard the Enlighten before deciding how to proceed, if you think that is wise. You know much more about them than I do so it is your call._

_Kriana_

She turns off the screen before rolling over to go back to sleep.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam looked through the shelves to find something that was suitable for a festive breakfast given that bacon was no longer an option as it was all eaten yesterday. Frosted cornflakes with extra cream sounded tempting if rather over the top on both the fat and the sugar content. Sam thought that summed up Christmas suitably well and so went with it. Both of the Asari had the same but without the cream. Sam wondered if it was a bit rich for their palettes or something but was not curious enough to ask.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Not long after breakfast there was a knock on the door. "Shiala, Adastra the basement would be the best place to hide." The two Asari nodded before quietly going down the steps to the basement. Sam waited until they had left before approaching the front door and opening it. Upon opening the door he was surprised to see a slightly chilly looking Kate, who's gingery red hair was sticking out from under her black hat. "Merry Christmas Kate. Have you walked all the way here in the snow?" Her house was not too far away if you took a short cut across a few fields but it was still a good forty minute walk.

"Merry Christmas to you too Sam. Yes I walked because it's a sunny day, and I quite like the snow. I decided to see if you were in to apologise for the other day at the Christmas party. I honestly had no idea. Sorry Sam."

"I would have thought you would have been entertaining people today, Christmas day and all, not walking around in the snow?" Sam tried to not think about the Christmas party issue as best he could.

"They were caught up in the flight disruption and so couldn't make it this year. All my other friends seem to have other places to be." Sam was sort of glad he seemed to have one friend but it was hardly the best time. It would be mean not to at least offer a drink given it is Christmas and she did look a little cold.

"Would you like to warm up and have a drink?"

"I would appreciate it." Sam mentally cursed his luck as he motioned Kate to enter. Sam took Kate's coat and hat once she had shed them and showed her to the sofa by the fire.

"What would you like to drink? I'm going to grab some sloe gin and beer from the basement for later so there is that. There is also red and white wine, tea, coffee and orange juice." Sam thanked his luck for storing most of the alcoholic beverages in the basement.

"I have no idea what sloe gin tastes like but it is Christmas so may as well try something new."

"It has a cherry taste to it but it is usually best to try it yourself. I'll be right back."

"Ok." With that Sam went to the basement. Descending the stairs he saw the two Asari looking around at the various junk.

"I really hope that you aren't planning to take anything." Sam had a smile on his face, but he had evidently startled to two of them slightly.

"Oh, no Sam. I am just admiring the technology. It is so old and yet it seems so fresh and new." Adastra said, not quite getting Sam's joke.

"Who was it at the door?" Shiala seemed keen to get straight to the point.

"A friend from work who seems to want some company since her family was unable to make it to her house for Christmas, and her friends seem to have other places to be. I'm totally unsure as to how you want to manage this situation. I'm assuming you want to keep as hidden as possible while you are here?"

"Yes." Shiala mumbled as she attempted to weigh up in her mind what to do. After a couple of minutes thought, "If you make it perfectly clear that she cannot contact anyone, and must stay with us until we can contact our ship, then I cannot see her meeting us as a big problem."

"What is her name Sam?" Adastra seemed overly keen on meeting yet another of the new species given her slightly overexcited state.

"Kate Adastra. I'll make sure that she knows everything but I will try to keep it as vague as possible. I'll be back shortly." They both nodded to Sam who then climbs the stairs with a bottle of three year old sloe gin.

"Hi, sorry about that Kate, It's a little chaotic down there and getting to anything takes time." Sam was a little cryptic in his description, but not lying. He moved through the living room to the kitchen to collect some glasses from a kitchen cupboard.

"That's no problem. I really like your tree it has everything on it." Kate stood in front of it, mesmerised by the assortment of ornaments and multi-coloured lights.

"Kate." Sam sat down on the sofa holding out a glass of red liquid. Kate suddenly turned as if the play button had been pressed. She sat down on the opposite end of the sofa and took a small swig from the glass.

"That is fairly potent. It does taste very nice though." Sam smiled to her, trying to mask the nerves that are forcing their way to the surface. 'How the hell do you break the news to someone that you are celebrating Christmas with a couple of drop-in guests from space?' Sam thought to himself.

"I'm glad you like it. I do have an unplanned surprise for you. Unplanned since I was not expecting you to turn up. Also unplanned because I was not expecting them to turn up, however it has a few strings attached if you wish to see."

"What kind of strings?" Kate began to wonder where this was going.

"If you see the surprise you cannot tell anyone or leave immediately. I'm sorry about being vague but I don't want anyone being harmed. It's up to you though."

"Is it legal?" Kate mentally placed bets on drugs or something similar, even though it sounded more like people.

"I have absolutely no idea. Its not the kind of thing legislation is currently made on." Kate seemed confused as to what Sam meant by that cryptic statement.

"Is it safe?"

"I really cannot answer questions all day as you will never in a million years guess. You should be safe enough though." Kate took another swig before placing the glass on the small table to her right.

"Ok then, surprise me."

"I'll be right back." Sam made his way out of the room and back towards the basement. Shiala had found a perch on the edge of the small sofa that had a ton of junk on it; Adastra was sitting on the office chair. Both of them looked towards the top of the stairs as the door opened and watched as Sam descended the stairs. "She has agreed to not tell anyone and to stay here for the time being. The vague way I had to put it has understandably made her extremely edgy, so just be a little cautious."

"A bit like I did with you the other day then Sam?" Adastra seemed remarkably good at this kind of thing.

"I will be careful Sam." Shiala added in her usual calm manner

"I'll stand in the doorway to the living room so that she cannot see you two. I will explain what is happening a little better. It might help calm her nerves a little."

Both Asari say "Ok Sam." at the same time causing each other to laugh a little before following Sam back up the stone stairs to the living room.

"I'm back Kate." Sam had a smile as wide as the Great Wall of China on his face.

"Why are you standing over there smiling like an idiot?" Sam tamed the smile a little before taking a breath.

"I need to explain that I've not spent Christmas alone but with two people that I met on the way home after work the other day. The surprise is meeting them."

Kate had a truly bemused look on her face, `He wouldn't need this silly act if it was just people'. Sam walked into the room and gestured the two Asari to follow. "Kate, I would like you to meet Shiala and Adastra."

Kate was in shock evidenced by the lack of colour in her face. "Seen a ghost Kate, it's usually better when you met someone to talk to them." Sam was possibly a little too unsympathetic given his reaction was remarkably similar just days prior. "I hope you can see why I had those strings attached." Kate meekly nodded as she kept a close eye on the two aliens.

"Greetings Kate." Shiala gave a small bow and smile.

"Errr, hi" was all Kate could meekly manage to get out. Sam and Adastra moved to the sofa with Sam sitting in the middle and Shiala taking the single seat. Sam took the sloe gin and poured two more glasses.

"This is sloe gin. If you don't like it pass it back and I will drink the rest." He passed a glass to both Shiala and Adastra before he sat back on the sofa. He carefully put a hand on Kate's right shoulder and could instantly tell she was physically shaking. "Kate, relax. I'm sure you have many questions, asking them would be an idea. I don't think Shiala or Adastra will bite."

"Who are they?" Kate said, the shaking affecting her voice a little too. She still only seemed to be looking at Sam, evidently feeling unnerved at the situation.

"They are Asari Kate."

"So they, are aliens? Like ET?" With that the three of them began laughing with Adastra just about managing to hold back an ET impression. Last nights film seemed to have quite an impact on the two Asari, even if it was mostly the bad special effects.

"Sorry." Sam took a small breath to calm himself down.

"Not like ET Kate, but yes. We come from a planet light years from here called Thessia." Shiala took over the conversation from Sam since she felt that it was better if she spoke. Kate seemed to be gradually getting over her initial shock by this point since she had now turned to look to Shiala.

"How do you know English? Don't you speak, alien?" Kate still seemed confused by what was happening. Shiala laughed a little.

"Our normal language is Asari Kate. I personally speak a bit of Salarian, Turian and now English too, I am sure Shiala is similar." Shiala nodded in agreement with Adastra. "Sam taught us both English when we arrived." Adastra looked to Sam with a little smile on her face.

"It wasn't teaching in the usual sense though Kate. It was certainly an experience though." Sam added noting the continuing confused look on Kate's face. At least she seemed to be calming down a little; either that or it was the alcohol beginning to have an effect.

"What do you mean by it wasn't teaching in the usual sense?"

"It wasn't constant repetition or describing it in a common language, as we neither had the time, nor a common language." Sam said with a slight grin on his face.

"So they, what, just pulled it out of your head?" Kate stated in a joking manner, not knowing quite how accurate the statement was. Sam decided this was a good time to say nothing and got up from the sofa. With a smile on his face he departed for the kitchen to begin preparing dinner. With the departure then the serious look on the face of the two Asari, reality suddenly hit Kate like a ton of bricks. "You, you can do that?"

"We can merge our nervous systems to another's which allows us to share thoughts..." Shiala stopped mid sentence from discussing the second use.

"So you can read my mind?" Kate suddenly became overly self aware and started fidgeting.

"We cannot when our nervous systems are unconnected and connecting against another's wishes is frowned upon." Shiala stated. "Sorry again Sam."

"It's ok Shiala. I know it was for the best." Sam shouted from the kitchen whilst he was putting the carrots in a pan. "At least I knew what to expect the next time, which made the whole experience... easier. No Kate I cannot describe it. It is odd in the extreme and to be honest slightly addictive in some weird way. Do either of you know if there are any down sides or side effects of m... connecting?" Sam just about caught his mistake before saying it.

"If the person is not malicious the only side effects are a headache, tiredness and a bit of nervous system instability afterwards, all of which reduce with experience." Adastra shouted through to the kitchen.

"Wait, so you can mess with someone's mind while connected?" Kate suddenly remembered the sloe gin on the table side and emptied the glass hoping it would help calm her nerves.

"Yes Kate. It is frowned upon but certainly possible." Shiala added trying to calm the human but thinking being truthful was the best idea.

"Sam, why the hell did you agree to connect twice? That was a massive risk you took there." Sam thought that Kate had begun to sound like an overprotective mother.

"I think it is fair to say Sam left more of an impression us than we did on him." Adastra said before taking another sip of the gin. "Sam, this sloe gin is very nice, if a bit strong compared to my usual preference."

"Kate I chose to trust them as they are taking much more of a risk than I am. Adastra I'm glad you like it. Do you have an opinion on it Shiala?" Shiala looked down at her glass to realise that there was an awful lot less than she thought was left.

"It gets drunk faster than you realise, it must be good."

Sam laughing to himself, "That's the problem with it unfortunately. Anyway lunch will be ready in about twenty minutes."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Your species have a diverse palette Sam." Shiala said just after polishing off the last of the meal.

"Thanks. I think." Sam was really pleased as to how well it had gone down, even the sprouts had disappeared. After brewing up everyone decamped back to the living room.

Shiala looked over Sam to Adastra and said "I think now would be a good time" in Asari, Adastra nodded in response.

"Would you like to tell me what you said?" Sam being a little put off by the feeling they were talking behind their backs.

Shiala took a deep breath. "We have been in contact with our ship, the ASL-Enlighten. Yesterday whilst researching Christmas we found it was customary to give gifts. The captain has tentatively agreed and our gift would be to welcome you both aboard our ship for a visit. It could eventually progress to you travelling the galaxy if you so wished." Sam was now positively beaming just about holding tears of joy back.

"Thank you." Sam hugged each Asari before turning to look at Kate who seemed stunned on the single seat opposite. "What about you?"

"I'm not sure. Unlike you I would be leaving people behind, even if they are hundreds of miles away for months at a time."

"Kate, you do not have to leave. If you do however you can still be redropped back on Earth afterwards if you reconsider before we set off. We would be forced to remove any memories of these last few days however as we cannot have you telling anyone."

"How long do we have to decide once we get onboard?"

"Repairs should take about two days. I know that is not long but it is the best we can offer." Shiala obviously had most of the questions the humans could possibly ask already figured out.

"Kate, you could at least go up and have a look, it is not like its going to cost you. Well if you chose to come back you would be missing a few days but you know what I mean."

"Shiala, would it be ok if I got back to you a little later." Kate seemed seriously tempted not to go as the thought of someone messing with her mind was not one she was at all happy with.

"Of course Kate."

Sam looked over at Adastra. "Could you tell me more about the Enlighten?" Adastra suddenly lit up like a bulb.

"Of course Sam, especially since I have been the Enlighten's pilot for nearly five years. What would you like to know?"

"How many crewmembers there are and their species would be a start?"

"There are five crewmembers after we were attacked about two weeks ago where most of the crew members abandoned the ship. We thought we were going to die but the goddess was looking down on us. We barely survived and found ourselves stranded here. I have no idea if the twenty four that escaped survived or not." Adastra clearly looked pained so Sam moved himself closer and put his arm around the Asari.

"All five of us still onboard are Asari but we did have two Salarian data specialists on board before the attack occurred."

"It sounds like you have been through a lot to get here." Kate seemed to also share the common empathy as well as she looked towards Shiala.

"We have Kate but we knew the risks when we took on this exploration mission. We really do need to get back to council space though which is no small task."

Sam suddenly seemed to have something on his mind. "I have a question. How will we communicate with the other three crew members? Are you going to act as translators?" Adastra shrugged and looked at Shiala.

"I can see this being a problem, given that we cannot put your language in auto translators nor spread it without causing half of the galaxy to descend upon this planet." Shiala nodded to Adastra who reciprocated after a short pause. "It is up to you but we would like to give you the Asari language."

"Does this mean we will have to connect?" Kate suddenly seemed frightened that her mind might not come out of the other end quite the same.

"No Kate, not if you do not want to. It is the only real way to learn Asari as it is not easy to teach if you have not grown up with it. You could learn an alternate language the hard way. Salarian is quite easy to pick up." Shiala noticed her indecisiveness. "You could always learn from one of the other Asari onboard the Enlighten if you do not trust us." The pause was just getting to the awkward point before Sam stepped up.

"Shiala, do you mind if Adastra taught me. I hope that I'm not offending you by saying it seemed a bit easier with her." Sam said as he looked over his shoulder at Adastra

"Not at all. It is quite common for certain people to interact better with others. Kate you are free to pick whoever you wish, we will not force you."

"I would like to see Sam first."

"How the hell am I meant to relax with an audience?" Sam said to Adastra but loud enough so that Kate could hear.

"Just remember the mind controls everything Sam. If you convince yourself that you have no audience then there is no audience." Adastra attempted to be helpful but failed to understand that humans cannot control their nervous systems and minds as well as Asari.

"Very helpful." Adastra seemed to get the hint at this point.

"Just close your eyes and imagine you are in the room. Now imagine the audience disappearing." Adastra was keeping an eye on Sam trying to pick up on when he was starting to relax. "Now relax and look around and find those links, the ones that hold everything together. Find the ones between us and pull them towards you. Embrace eternity."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I would like someone to sign for this delivery." Adastra stood in front of the oak reading table smiling towards Sam as he walked back from the shelves. He had just had a large book hit him on the head which had seemingly dropped off a shelf.

"Oh hi, sorry." Sam did a double take when he realised what Adastra had just asked. "When do I need to sign for anything when you are in my mind?" Rubbing his head as he was talking, a little confused as to why Adastra had asked such a silly question.

"You don't, sorry Sam. All I needed was for you to say something. Think of it as a test to see if it worked." Adastra smiled at Sam who seemed none too impressed.

"That would explain the overly large book that fell onto my head then. Is there anything that I can help you with while you are here?" Adastra seemed to ponder the idea for a few moments.

"Hmmm, I saw the large piece of metal in the basement this morning that you told us not to touch the other day when you were showing us around. Could you tell me what it is and how it works?" Sam was a little thrown by this random request but he liked the topic so was soon over the initial shock.

"Sure, it's a model axial turbo-shaft engine. Its primitive but it works." Sam went over to the second isle and disappeared down it. He reappeared a few seconds later with a small book. "Here this is everything on jet engines that I know of, it's not much." Adastra took it carefully with both hands from Sam.

"Sam, I know you do your best and it is more than I would have known without your help. This kind of technology is getting towards two and a half thousand years old on our planet and has been redundant for nearly two thousand. Getting information like this is difficult so thank you."

"No problem, we must be really far behind yourselves technology wise. It would be good to see what you have."

"I cannot give you any more information at the moment unfortunately as your brain will take a while to process the new language. That will have to be next time. Sorry Sam." Sam gave Adastra a nod who then turned and began to walk over to the exit. "I'll leave you alone now." Sam suddenly saw the room catapulted away by the links he had pulled towards him earlier. He opened his eyes to see Adastra's warm smile then closed them again as he realised he had a headache.

"What was it like Sam? It looked really freaky with Adastra's eyes turning black."

"Keep your voice down Kate, I have a headache. It's your turn next." Sam was now squinting towards the chair Kate was sat on, trying to keep some of the light out of his eyes. "Could we swap seats so my brain isn't blinded to death?" Kate stood up from the chair. Sam looked like he was drunk as he stood up and carried himself and his tea mug to the other seat. He was glad that his mug was only half full otherwise it would have been everywhere.

"Is drunkenness a side effect of the connection?" Kate asked to no one in particular whilst watching Sam stagger the six paces across the carpet.

"As I mentioned earlier one of the side effects is the nervous system having some instability for a while afterwards. With practice it's possible for you to compensate for it, making it seem as if nothing is happening."

"I need more practice then Adastra." The voice from the man with his eyes closed calmly said. Shiala shook her head with a smile on her face, Adastra looked a little sheepish. Kate noticed both.

"Is there something that I need to know about?"

"No" came the reply from both Adastra and Sam at the same time. Shiala shrugged with a little confusion on her face.

"Who are you going to pick Kate if you want to do this? It is easier to get rid of the headache if you do not sleep on it."

"Is that from experience Sam?"

"Yes I felt like my head had been squashed between two trains the following morning. I'll go somewhere else and take the other person you don't choose somewhere else if you don't feel comfortable." Sam had at least got his eyes open now the headache seemed to no longer be light sensitive. Kate was not particularly comfortable with either alien, evidenced by her sitting on the edge of the sofa and keeping as much distance between herself and the two Asari as possible.

"How old are both of you?" Kate looked towards Adastra first this time.

"I'm 361." Kate seemed a little shocked.

"I am 392 Kate." She heard from behind her. Kate turned around a little disbelieving.

"How old?"

Sam just facepalmed and then regretted doing so. "You'll understand after. Quick version is they live about a thousand years, so you have basically the equivalent of a thirty six and a thirty nine year old to pick from."

"Sorry Adastra, I had to choose and I thought older is perhaps better."

"No problem Kate." Adastra looked a little relieved that she was not the one to undertake Kate's first meld.

"Adastra let us go and play together in the basement." Sam gave Adastra a smile as he had seemingly started to process some of the new information. Shiala rose what would account for eyebrows at the wording but also smiling at his poor pronunciation of some of the words. Some were particularly poor but she could at least understand what he said.

"What the hell did you just say Sam." Kate shocked at quite how quick the process had been from start to finish.

"Adastra lets go to the basement, I wanted to try out the new language. I only have one piece of advice for you before I go Kate. Do not resist and relax. First part is definitely the most important." With that Sam and Adastra walked out of the room leaving Kate and Shiala on the sofa alone.

"Kate, I will not deliberately harm you. Please remember that as it will undoubtedly hurt at first. If you do not resist me then it will not hurt. It is however very difficult not to do so on the first time unfortunately. Do you wish to continue?" Kate felt a little resigned and so nodded. "Relax as best you can. Close your eyes." Shiala noticed that Kate was becoming more nervous instead of relaxing so decided to just go for it. "Everything in the universe is bound together, open your mind and reach out to find the link between you and me. Relax and pull the link closer. Embrace eternity".

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Her head felt like someone had poured petrol in her ears and thrown in a match after. Sam forgot to mention that it is impossible not to resist someone trying to invade, especially so if you do not wholly trust them. Kate dug deep to trust Shiala that she wouldn't deliberately harm her. The pain subsided and she found herself in a dingy corridor with rooms to the left and right. Strip lights flickering as if some were in need of replacement and flaking green paint on the walls exposing the plaster underneath in some places. Looking into a room on her left she saw three walls of grey filing cabinets, some with draws half open or paper hanging out. Suddenly a large thud rocked the room as if an explosion had just gone off. Kate peered back into the corridor to see papers falling to the floor from the fourth door on the right. After walking to the room Kate peered in and saw most of the draws overflowing.

"I'm glad you seem to be embracing the connection now." A voice that sounded like a distorted Shiala crackled over the ceiling speakers. "I've given you the same information I gave Sam as well as everything you need on the Asari language. It would be best if you slept now as it's a lot to process at once." With that Kate felt herself slide down the door frame and back into the real world.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I, think, this, is, the worst, headache, I have, ever, had." Kate carefully pronounced each word as if it was difficult for her to think too quickly.

"I'm sorry if I have caused you pain however it was the only realistic way Kate. The dizzy drunk feeling will wear off in a few minutes, the headache I have no idea. Again my apologies for any discomfort."

"I think, I will just, lay down here, a while." It wasn't too long before she had dropped to sleep.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra helped Sam down the stairs to the basement as he still seemed a little unsteady. Once she reached the bottom she looked to her right where the item of her request sat and yet she had forgotten to ask the one important question.

"Did you make this yourself?" Sam shook his head thinking he could definitely hear is brain rattling around.

"No I had it manufactured for me although it is my design from the basic principles and I put all the bits together."

"Is there anything else that you forgot to mention or neglect first time around?"

"I don't think so." Sam rummaged through a few boxes of random junk in the corner. "I could really do with a drink, would you like a coffee. I'm sure we can sneak past the two upstairs if they aren't done."

"I would indeed like a coffee."

With that they both wandered back upstairs, Sam evidently more back to normal now on the movement side as he took the steps without too much uncertainty. They both carefully looked into the living room to see Kate asleep on the sofa and Shiala on the chair.

"This is going to be so funny later; would you like a coffee Shiala?"

"I prefer another tea if you do not mind?"

"Sure."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam was sat with the two Asari in the kitchen each with a warming mug of anti-thirst. Each of them occasionally looked towards the sofa to see if there was any sign of movement.

"How long do you reckon she will sleep for?" Sam a little curious given it was approaching early evening.

"I unintentionally ruined her carefully ordered filing system. It could well be tomorrow now." Shiala looked decidedly downbeat while looking towards the gingery red hair hanging over the arm of the sofa.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The three of them had been chatting in the kitchen for hours and were now in the basement.

"So other than water there is nothing else you need?"

"If you had some thick cable then that could be very useful. Other than that I cannot think of anything else you will have that would help." Adastra clearly disappointed that the Enlighten is broken and there's not a whole lot she can do. Sam moves several seemingly heavy boxes to reveal three large one kilometre wire spools.

"I got these from a scrap heap one day still in their wrapping. I'm not sure how useful the coaxial cable would be. These two on the other hand I would assume should be of some use." Sam puts his hand down between the spools and lifting the end up showing a thick copper cable.

"That looks like it would have some uses." Adastra thought to herself that a few spans would be good enough for rewiring the thruster and electrolysis unit.

"I'll need a hand out with them as rolling them down the stairs is easy, up not so much."

"That is not a problem Sam." Shiala said as if it was just like moving a book, not something that weighed three times as much as Sam did. "Adastra, could you move the second one." Adastra stood next to Shiala and each of them started glowing blue. The reels lifted as if they were helium balloons and they were carefully deposited on the landing at the top of the stairs.

"That was impressively useful, although frightening. I've never seen anything like that except cheap tricks." The two Asari smiled which made Sam a little uncomfortable.

"It was not a trick." Shiala said with a note of disapproval, her smile indicated that she was however joking.

"Sorry, I never intended to insinuate it was. I could do with a sit down though as it is a bit of a shock." The three of them climbed the stairs, rolling the reels out of the door and into the hallway so they could get out of the basement without climbing over them. They quietly went through to the kitchen where they sat down.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam looked out of the kitchen window looking at the three partially melted snowmen as the rain gradually eroded them into the ground. "I am going to get some sleep. I shall talk to you both tomorrow." The pair of the Asari gave a nod to Sam who then left the kitchen to go upstairs.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>

**A longer chapter than the previous ones but I feel it was important to get some solid interaction going. The amount of words per chapter will be quite varied from now on but will typically be longer than the previous eight.**

**The next chapter may take a little longer before it is ready to be uploaded.**

**Reviews are most welcome.**

**13/10/2013 - Chapter updated with re-edited version.**


	11. Chapter 11 : Marked For Leaving

**Chapter 11 - Marked for Leaving**

* * *

><p><strong>26th December 2016<strong>

Shiala had awoken earlier than everyone else because of the heavy rain hitting the window but not early enough to go back to sleep. With forced resignation she decides to have her first shower. It did make a change from cold and certainly got rid of any remaining grogginess. It was a bit of a pain trying to keep the plaster dry but it was worth the effort. After drying herself and putting on her clothes she headed to the kitchen. After rummaging for a couple of minutes she received a message. Breaking off the breakfast search she read the message.

_Shiala,_

_We got your message about two individuals. This news makes me slightly uncomfortable. I would like to request that you take our guests to the seating area on deck two upon arrival and not up to the top deck until we have met. I am glad to hear you will be bringing up some cable as we are really struggling to find any that is not too damaged to use._

_The latest update is the flare will hit at about 1am tomorrow morning. Be ready with the shuttle loaded by that time for pickup._

_Kriana_

"What is the latest news?" she heard from in the hallway before Sam rounded the corner into sight.

"How did you know I was here?" Shiala was obviously curious as to how his military skills were so good.

"The towel in the bathroom was damp but warm and you got a message about this time yesterday morning too." Sam had a smug grin on his face as he went to the freezer to pull out a couple of pizzas. "Are you going to tell me what it said Shiala?" Sam unboxed the pizzas before throwing them into the oven as Shiala realised that his explanation seemed logical.

"Pickup is going to be at about 1am tomorrow morning."

"What can we take with us?"

"I estimate that you and Kate could take fifty kilos each if I overload the drive core in the shuttle." Adastra was walking towards Sam and Shiala in the kitchen as if she had been awake for hours. "The current plan is to load twelve thousand five hundred litres of water on board as well which is already pushing the limits. Also we are going to need to get picked up in the atmosphere as the shuttles seal is broken after the landing. I sent a message earlier to Kriana about changing the plans as that amount of water will not get us very far anyway." Adastra jumped a little when her Omni-tool indicated she had a message.

_Adastra,_

_I know the goddess smiled upon you with the last stunt that you pulled and she seems to be doing so again. You are correct in your calculations that the water you will bring up, for seven people would not cover oxygen and fuel requirements to get us to an adequate planet to resupply including our current reserves. We will ensure the water collection pumps and the plasma thruster is working with any decent cable we can find._

_We will message you when we are on approach so that you can meet us whilst in decent._

_Kriana_

She closes her Omni-tool and ponders a moment before talking.

"My plan has been accepted. We travel to the Enlighten as it approaches earth to pick up water from the sea as the amount of water we could take up would be insufficient for seven people. It means it should be less of a problem to get yourself and Kate when she awakens to the ship." The two of them nod and Sam the goes to the oven to remove the pizza. He cuts it into slices before putting them on a large plate for everyone to have a go at.

"Pizza for breakfast. It is not strictly a typical breakfast item, unless it is cold and you are desperate, but what the hell it tastes good." The two Asari quickly took a slice from the plate.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The smell from the room was awful and was seemingly coming from everywhere. Making her way down the hallway she tries to breathe through her mouth as the smell is so dense it is almost edible. She walked into the kitchen to be confronted by the source of the smell. A viscous yellow coating of vomit covered a large proportion of the floor and many of the worktops in the kitchen. The smell had a strong chlorine smell as well as the note of rotting food.

On the floor she lay, covered in the same yellow fluid as everything else in the room. Forgetting about her shoes for the moment she quickly moved across to check she was ok. Barely breathing, her eyes glazed over and random muscle twitching forced her hand. Opening her Omni-tool she called for an ambulance and hoped they would arrive quickly.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra finished the last of her tea out of the cup before she sat the cup down on the table. "Well that was certainly different, in a good way. I will be back in a bit." Sam and Shiala nodded and Adastra made her way out of the kitchen.

"Did you enjoy the pizza Shiala?"

"I am not sure that it is as you said a breakfast item but yes, it was good." Sam smiled as the quietness of the kitchen, excluding the fridge which seemed to deliberately hum in protest to silence, gave Sam time to wonder where Adastra had gone.

"Do you think Adastra is drawn to technology as she seems to have taken quite a liking to the jet engine in the basement?"

"I have no idea although I know she likes anything that is well engineered or a bit out of the ordinary."

"Argh my head. It feels like it has exploded!" Kate shouted as she awoke, making Sam and Shiala jump slightly.

"I think someone is finally awake." Sam quietly says to Shiala before shouting through to the living room. "It is not a dream and I did warn you about going to sleep Kate. Just to warn you it is tomorrow now." Sam got up from the table and walked to the sofa taking a seat beside Kate.

"Keep your smug voice down, I'm never doing that again." Kate muttered in a slightly grumpy manner.

"I bet you £100 that you do. I'll be right back." Sam felt like that was a very safe bet.

"You are on." Kate said as Sam got up to leave the room. She feels someone else carefully sit down on the sofa.

"I am sorry that you have suffered. You did do well though and it will be easier next time." Shiala was attempting to be as comforting as she could.

"Why is everyone so confident that there will be a next time?" Shiala wondered if the irritation was from the headache or the fact she has been asleep nearly fifteen hours and feels like she may have missed something.

"There are a few things you have yet to find out. You are not in a fit state to find out at the moment though. Sorry Kate." Kate looked a little annoyed at Shiala who could only try her best to stay positive.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra had enjoyed the first warm shower in a fortnight. It had been cold showers only on-board the Enlighten since the core discharge took out most of the electrical systems and the smaller plasma thrusters. Just as she got around to drying her feet Sam came tearing into the bathroom. He stopped as if he had hit a brick wall that was just inside the doorway. Luckily she was facing away from the door but Sam still took a second to admire her wonderfully curved body before guilt took over.

Adastra's left side was extensively covered in turquoise blue markings with it being nearly a full block colour near her waist. The further from that point the less the markings covered her natural blue. It was also odd in that it looked like the markings missed some parts that were "hidden" from the source as if it was paint spatter that had painted the markings. Examples of parts missed that Sam could see were the inside of the left leg and the right side of the right leg. Sam guessed that if you looked at her from the right side you wouldn't see many markings at all.

Sam quickly turned around, "Sorry. I apologise, I thought you were in the basement." Adastra quickly covered up with the large white towel and turned around to see Sam heading out of the door.

"Sam." He stopped where he was but didn't turn. It would be more embarrassing to show his face at the moment given the prickling sensation his cheeks had. "It is my fault." With that he felt a gentle hand settle on his left shoulder. Cautiously turning his head he soon saw Adastra who had a warm smile and an unmissable lilac hue to her face, matching his red face well.

"Well this has certainly been embarrassing. Can you tell me when you are done?"

"I will and you have no idea." Sam turned around and left the bathroom to lean against the wall a couple of metres away from the door.

"What could be more embarrassing than walking into a naked alien that you've only known for two days?" Sam mumbled to himself as he tried to process what Adastra meant by 'you have no idea?'. He just hoped that it did not make meeting her in the future awkward. It was not too much longer before Adastra appeared from the doorway. "So it's safe to go to the loo now?" Sam gave Adastra a forced smile. She nodded in response and Sam made his way past her into the bathroom.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam got a shock when he got out of the bathroom and nearly walked into Adastra who was standing where he had been just two minutes ago. "Are you keeping an eye on me or something?" A tinge of lilac reappeared on her face.

"No, I just wanted to talk with you somewhere quiet." Sam looked confused.

"Here?" Adastra looked around as if she could see if there was anyone hiding behind any of the walls. She started talking in a subdued voice.

"No one has seen my body in over one hundred and thirty years. I have been unhappy with it my whole life." Sam seemed a little confused at that comment as she certainly didn't look ugly in any way.

"Why are you unhappy with it?" The sad expression on her face gave away that it hurt her but there were no tears.

"As you no doubt saw..."

"I didn't mean to," Sam blurted out, his face turning red with the renewed memory. Adastra just held her hand up and gave a short smile to quieten him.

"I know. It was my fault for not locking the door." Adastra took a deep breath. "Asari do not naturally have markings anywhere other than on their face Sam. It is a rare condition that used to have a probability of two or three in a generation, but since Asari have been mating with other species, it has become more common. I was told that there were eight other Asari known to have this condition when I was a child." Adastra paused, not for effect, but because of the story opening up old wounds. "You have no idea how much you get verbally and even in some cases physically abused just for having a bit of colouration on your hands." She looked at the back of her hands, but mostly her left, as a couple of tears began to roll down her face. "I hope you can see why I have avoided showing anyone my body if my hands caused that much of a problem."

Sam moved forward to give Adastra a hug. "I can only guess at the ridicule. I personally think that the markings on your body looked wonderful Adastra. You certainly should not have to be ashamed of yourself." Sam broke off the hug leaving Adastra free to wipe her tears away.

"Thank you for understanding and the kind words Sam. They really mean a lot." Adastra seemed a little happier now after having the talk.

"No problem. Are you good to head back and see if Kate is alive yet?" Adastra nodded before forcing a warm smile through her dampened face.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I wonder where Sam has got to as it has been twenty five minutes since he left." Kate was now sat up on the sofa and not squinting but the headache was still making sudden movements really annoying.

"Is it not obvious?" Shiala clearly saw something that Kate was missing.

"I seem to be missing a lot still." Kate gave Shiala a look as if to remind her that she was holding back. Shiala biotically lifted the tea cup from the table. Kate's jaw dropped but no words appeared.

"Sorry I was away so long. Shiala are you holding the cup up for a refill?" Sam looked towards Kate and found her surprised expression amusing.

"If you would not mind I would indeed like a refill Sam."

"Would you like anything Kate?"

"A tea would be good." Kate said as she seemed fixated by the floating cup. Sam plucked the cup out of the air before heading to the kitchen. This confused Kate even more as it clearly was not a trick.

"So you can lift anything?"

"Within reason." Adastra said as she placed herself into the chair opposite, her cheeks still showing the signs of earlier tears.

"What happened between you and Sam? You seem upset." Adastra let a bit of a smile slip to Kate but could do nothing to cover the purple colouring that appeared on her face.

"Sam..."

"Don't say anything about that Adastra; they'll get the wrong idea." Sam shouted through cutting Adastra off mid sentence.

"We had a talk and it was a little personal but it was nothing more." Shiala's smile reappeared with that explanation.

"Fair enough, could someone now explain to me why everyone is confident that I will connect with another Asari?" The memory gave Kate's headache a renewed vengeance.

"It has two uses, as far as I have been told anyway. The first is a simple form for information exchange." Sam talking as he placed the tray of cups down on a fold out table. "The second I hope I don't have to spell out." He looked to Kate and it was obvious she still had not processed all the information about the Asari.

"Kate, we are mono-gendered. How do you think we reproduce?" Shiala said, dropping the bomb that Sam was unwilling to but still getting the same expected response of a gasp before the full realisation dawned.

"Ewwww, so I had sex with you?" Kate screwed her face up and felt a little used.

"No. This would be why I did not bring it up. It is difficult to explain as it is the same process essentially but just at a much simpler level. How the goddess do you know about this Sam as... Oh." Shiala realised that she had not told him but he had melded twice afterwards. She just laughed a little.

"Is that a hint Adastra?" Sam smiled a little at his joke.

"No, no, why did you even..." Adastra blurted out before she realised that between that and what happened in the bathroom it could have been intended as much. Sam let out a laugh as Adastra turned a deep shade of purple from the embarrassment. Sam quickly moved to get a stool from the kitchen to try and hide the red tinge that had begun to form on his face. Shiala looked at Adastra with a knowing smile. "Shiala, please stop. I know you know."

"Sorry Adastra."

"So you and Sam are what, best friends?" Kate asked as she looked towards Adastra and her purple tinged face.

"I would say we are acquaintances at the moment Kate." Kate certainly did not look convinced as Sam came back with the stool to sit beside Adastra looking a little embarrassed as well.

"I would say friends Kate but I think there is some cultural difference in the meanings." Adastra nodded in agreement as she gave Sam a small smile.

"Either way, I am not going to connect again. It was awful." Kate flatly announced just to make sure no one had any doubts as to where she stood on the subject.

"It is called melding Kate and if you are that confident do you want to increase the bet then? I didn't want to take advantage of you too much so I kept it reasonable to begin with." Kate pulled a face to Sam as if she had just eaten a lemon. Sam thought it would perhaps be a good idea to attempt to change the topic. "Oh, Kate. You won't know about when we are leaving will you?"

"I do as Shiala told me while you were away with Adastra." The two of them slightly blush again. "What the hell happened anyway as you both look guilty and embarrassed?"

"Sorry Kate. You will probably find out eventually but not now." Sam thought that he would probably die of embarrassment if he did. Kate turned to look at Adastra who just kept her mouth shut. Once the silence was again approaching awkward levels Sam intervened. "I could really do with getting some stuff packed then if we are leaving tonight."

"I will help you Sam." Shiala just could not resist laughing a little as the two of them left the room.

"Could you explain Shiala?" Kate kept her voice down in case they were still fairly close.

"There is... an understanding, between them Kate. I thought it was obvious." Shiala wondered whether it was truly they were meant to be together or whether it was just good friends.

"I figured that out what about the other thing?"

"Maybe she accidently saw Sam with nothing on?" Shiala could not imagine the opposite ever occurring without Sam looking miserable, which he certainly did not. Kate seemed a little surprised at that thought before smiling and nodding. That theory fitting with the amount of embarrassment the two of them were showing.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam makes a couple of journeys to the shuttle with his stuff since it was now dark. On his last run he took Adastra with him. He arrived back at the house half an hour after setting off with Adastra to pick up Shiala and Kate to get Kate's things.

"Are you two good to go?" Sam said as he was just entering the house through the front door. Kate and Shiala got up after nodding and everyone left the house with Sam locking up behind. The three of them join Adastra who had waited patiently in the car before Sam pulled the car out of the drive to head towards Kate's house.

Kate lived in a nearby village which was about six miles away by road in the opposite direction to the shuttle. The journey wasn't that long although the water from the thawed snow and rain earlier that day had started to become ice in places.

"Given your enthusiasm all afternoon you sound like you are getting cold feat." Shiala noticed that Kate's body language was expressing a tense nervousness.

"I am a little. I think it is the fear of the unknown more than anything else." Kate looked out of the window over the dark fields as they travelled towards her house.

"You do remember that you don't have to do this and you can leave." Shiala said before having to duck down below the window line as a car travelling in the opposite direction passed.

"I'm up for this."

"Are you still up for upping the stakes on the no melding bet?" Sam at least got a small laugh from Shiala.

"I think £100 would be plenty if you are both so confident of the outcome".

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Do I need a towel?" Kate seemed in a slight panic as she seemed to ask if she needed everything trivial in the house. The car outside was already nearly full of what Sam and Shiala thought were necessities, plus a good number of books Kate wanted to take. It had up until this point taken the three of them nearly three hours to pack everything.

"You do remember hitchhikers guide to the galaxy don't you?" Sam was not going to let the first opportunity for a good comeback other than the usual no response go to waste.

"Kate, we really need to leave as we cannot miss the flare otherwise there is no way we will be able to avoid being seen." Shiala knew from the bit of reading she did two days ago that the planet was rather well observed using satellites and radar.

"But what if I need this?" Kate pointed to the toaster.

"I'm sure if a species has mastered space travel then I'm sure they have a method of making toast Kate. I know it feels like a rush but we really should go." Kate pulled a frown but knew Sam was right, she could not delay them. The three of them left the house and got in to the car. Kate looked at the house through the window as they drove away, a slight wateriness beginning to form in her eyes.

"Kate I hope you do not feel forced into coming with us if being here means that much to you." Kate sniffed a little.

"I do not feel forced. I just feel a little sad that it could be the end of me seeing Earth. My family and friends will be none the wiser where I have gone."

"Kate if you need to you can leave a message. You cannot mention us or where you have gone though."

"Shit. There is going to be a police investigation and everything. Shiala, can you think of a way to keep yourselves hidden and for the police not to spend months searching everywhere?"

"Well I have already solved them finding us with modified bacteria Sam. In a couple of days both of your houses will contain no DNA or any other identifying mark. It might be a bit weird that there is none of your DNA but it is essential they do not know anything about us. The best thing to do is leave a note to say you are fine and safe."

"You think that will work Shiala?"

"I have no idea Kate. Humans cannot be allowed to know about us yet which makes saying you have left to go to another planet voluntarily very difficult to explain. I hope you can understand."

"Do you mind if I called my parents?" Sam pulled the car into a small clearing in the undergrowth near to the shuttle to help keep things discrete. There were not many passers by as it was now ten twenty one at night on Boxing Day and the roads were beginning to get extremely icy.

"Kate if you do, one of us will have to be there with you. If you mention anything about where you are going or about us or how we got here we will have to kill you. Do you understand?" Kate nodded before pulling her phone from her pocket. A knot of guilt and anxiety built in her gut as she called the number.

"Hello."

"Hi Dad."

"Oh, Hello Kate. How has your Christmas been without us?"

"You know it can never be the same unless you are there." 'Awwww' Sam thought to himself. "How has yours been?"

"A little stressful as we had to make plans at the last minute. We managed to get a reservation at the Shalestone Inn however which was nice. Did you have to change your plans?"

"I did as eating alone was just not going to feel right. I did however end up having a rather enlightening Christmas with a work colleague which was different."

"That sounds nice Kate. It wasn't that Tim you were with though was it?"

"No dad, I know you did not like him. Anyway this is going to be the most shocking and weird phone call you will ever have."

"Are you ok Kate?"

"I am Dad. I am just saying that as I wish to be as honest as I can be with you and hopefully Mum in a few minutes."

"I can get her now if you wish, she is just upstairs."

"You can but I need to say that this could be the last time I am able to speak to you again."

"Why Kate?"

"I am leaving to go somewhere and I will be unable to make communication with others there. I just need you to understand that I am leaving of my own free will as it may look a little strange."

"Leaving to go where Kate."

"I unfortunately cannot answer that. I hope you understand but this is a once in a lifetime chance that myself and the work colleague I mentioned have been offered."

"So this is a secret, like some kind of government thing?"

"Not exactly, the only problem being is that I will be unable to contact you, possibly ever again." It was obvious from Kate's expression that she was hurting inside.

"Did you say you were going with a work colleague?"

"Yes Dad."

"Is he there with you now?"

"Yes."

"Could I talk to him?" Kate held out the phone to Sam.

"Hello."

"Are you the work colleague who works with Kate?"

"I am indeed. My name is Sam Barnes."

"Will Kate be safe Sam?"

"I would make sure of it and I am sure we will both be treated well. I just want you to know neither of us are taking this decision lightly. We just want everyone to understand it is of our own free will. It is however something that is very difficult for us to pass up."

"Could you pass me back to Kate?"

"Sure." Sam gave the phone back to a saddened Kate.

"Hi."

"Are you being threatened Kate as you sound in a difficult position."

"No Dad, we have the option not to do this if we wish. This opportunity is almost like us inventing the internet; it is literally that big of an opportunity. The price we pay is we will no long be able to be in contact with anyone. I feel so torn but it feels right for me to take it. I hope you do not feel insulted that I am thinking about myself more than you."

"Do you think you would be happy with your choice Kate?"

"I would think so Dad as the possibilities are nearly limitless. I just wanted to tell you and Mum to know that I am out there somewhere."

"I should get your mother Kate but if this is goodbye then I hope you make us both proud and you keep yourself safe."

"I will always to that Dad."

"Thank you Kate and I will be thinking of you."

"As will I Dad."

'Louise, Kate wishes to talk to you' Kate heard her Dad say on the phone before she hears it being handed over. "Hello Kate. I hope you have had a good Christmas without us. I hear that it was white on Christmas day where you are."

"It was but it was not quite the same as our usual Christmases together. I would have preferred us to be together but I have had a good Christmas."

"I am pleased to hear that Kate as your Father has been worried about you not calling."

"I apologise for that but I was not in a situation I could do so."

"Were the phones not working where you are due to the flare?"

"No. Myself and a work colleague have been offered a sort of secret job where outside contact is practically impossible. This call is merely allowed as a courtesy. It is however a once in a lifetime opportunity. It does however mean that we will be unable to contact each other."

"How long will this be for Kate?"

"I honestly have no idea unfortunately Mum. I wish I knew as I will miss you both." Kate let a tear loose now.

"When do you begin the job Kate as it would be good to meet you for the last time?"

"I have already begun Mum. I am sorry...I feel awful for leaving you and Dad like this. I would have liked to have seen you before I left. I do promise to get in contact with you as soon as I can do so again however."

"Your Dad and I would welcome that Kate as you would probably have at least a story or two to tell even if you are limited with what you can say. I do hope that you enjoy your new job Kate as I know you have occasionally found work difficult in the past."

"Thank you Mum. I will always be thinking of you."

"As will I Kate."

"I unfortunately have to say goodbye now. Could you say goodbye to Dad for me as well?"

"I will Kate. Goodbye and I hope to hear from you again when you can."

"Bye Mum." Kate hung up the phone before bursting into tears.

"I can only say that the feeling you have now will never really leave you Kate. You just need to know that it was for the best." Shiala got out of the car and began to take stuff to the shuttle as Sam leaned over to put an arm around Kate. "Kate you have passed the hardest part. If you want to see other planets we need to leave soon." Sam knew how hard this was to take but he also knew she had to dig deep for now.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Packing the shuttle did not take too long after Sam had helped Kate feel a little happier. They were ready for the Enlighten to call at half eleven. There really was not much space in the shuttle after all the goods were packed in. A sardine can would have been a very apt description. Adastra entered first to get to the flight controls, followed by Sam then Kate and finally Shiala. The forty five minute wait seemed to last hours as no one wanted to mention anything in case it upset Kate.

"Shuttle this is the ASL-Enlighten. Please depart and travel to the indicated position." The voice was severely distorted and masked by static but it was still just about audible.

"Enlighten, I will do my best but given the minor damage to the flight controls I may have to provide a new pickup point."

"Understood. I hope to see you all shortly, Enlighten Out."

"Everyone hold on." With that Adastra launched the shuttle out of the undergrowth and used the mass effect core to lift the shuttle upwards making very little sound. Two minutes later they were going through the clouds and levelling off, Adastra using the thrusters on low for positioning and to keep their profile as small as possible.

"That's nice," was all Kate could manage to say as they punched through cloud cover, surrounded by the iridescence from the flare. Sam thought 'it's a bit more than nice' but he knew it was the best she could manage at the moment.

"ASL Enlighten, I can get the shuttle to the co-ordinates. ETA three minutes."

"Shuttle bay two will be open for you, Enlighten out." Adastra seemed to be doing an awful lot more work than the ship was currently performing. The shuttle soon turned ninety degrees, inertia keeping the shuttle going towards the Enlighten. Adastra sat back with the feeling of a job well done.

"If everyone looks out of a starboard window they will see the Enlighten." Sam and Kate moved to the window, both of then squinting to see a lump of metal with a slight blue tinge to it. "I am sorry it doesn't look much as the paint blistered after the attack when we were getting away." Adastra said from the pilots seat as it was difficult to move among all the goods. "I would advise everyone to get a seat now though." Thirty seconds later the ship turned so it was facing away from the Enlighten and the thruster restarted.

"Adastra this is Fosanta, you have to be having a laugh." Fosanta was obviously able to see the approaching shuttle out of a window.

"We were approaching too quickly and I didn't want to take out the Enlighten. If you tell me your drift that would be nice as I cannot see where the bay is."

"Goddess... Drift is one one eight metres in front of the point".

"I have done this once before Fosanta. My instructor was not pleased though as I miscalculated slightly and damaged the shuttle. It was only a scrape but it was the principle more than anything." Adastra was now only using the thrusters for positioning as the shuttle just scratched the docking bay pillar as it entered the bay. Adastra turned off the mass effect core and the shuttle dropped onto the ship's floor.

"Fosanta, we have landed. I did not damage anything valuable." The smile on Adastra's face was a bit silly as the docking bay door started to close and the internal lights turned on to provide lighting. A thud was felt as the hull door locked shut. "You are clear to exit. Kriana and Emala are waiting for you on deck two."

"I will see you shortly." Adastra closed the communications and locked the control systems. "Time to leave everyone." Shiala got the hint and stood up before pushing the shuttle door open allowing the four of them to escape the packed can into the large, almost empty docking bay.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam and Kate stood behind Shiala and Adastra in the lift as they travelled up to deck two. The lift stopped and they walked out towards the seating area where Kriana and Emala were waiting for them. Kriana stood up and moved towards them as they saw the group approach.

"You will both be fine and there is no reason to be scared. Just remember that she cannot speak English." Adastra whispered to both of them. "Kriana, it is good to see you. I hope you do not mind if I leave to help Fosanta on the collection."

"No, go ahead Adastra."

"Kriana this is Kate and Sam." Shiala pointed to each of them as she said their names. "They call themselves humans. Both of them should be able to understand you, but as you know our language is difficult to learn".

"Greetings Kate, Sam. Welcome on-board the ASL-Enlighten. I am Kriana, the captain. The quiet one on the seating is my daughter Emala."

"Thank you for this opportunity Kriana." Sam tried his best with the pronunciation of his words but he still struggled. A smile appeared on Kriana's face as she tried to stifle a laugh.

"It is not me you should thank Sam. It was down to Shiala to state whether it was a good idea or not." A smile came to Shiala's face as Sam nodded and Kate gave her a hug. "I unfortunately need to oversee other things. Shiala and Emala will help you both settle in." The three of them nodded and Kriana left heading towards the lift. "Emala, could you help Kate while I help Sam?"

"Ok." Emala seemed unsure as to what to make of the aliens. They looked really similar to the Asari excluding the skin colour and the different stuff on their head. The four of them made their way back down to the shuttle in the slow lift with Emala staying an extra step away from the two aliens. Kate handed one of her boxes to Emala before picking up a second. The two of them proceeded to just stand there outside the shuttle. Sam and Shiala were inside the shuttle getting the cable reels out when Sam spotted the two lemons.

"Did you put those two together deliberately?" Sam kept his voice down as he was aware it would be amplified a little by the shuttle.

"Yes, Kate needs to make an effort to speak in our language." Sam nodded before rolling the first of the reels out of the shuttle. Shiala gives her reel a shove with a biotic field to get it rolling. Both of them rolled past the sitting ducks and squeezed into the lift to go down to engineering.

"Kate, you do not have to be scared of mispronunciation." Emala finally broke the silence which had long since become awkward.

"Where from?" Kate seemed happy enough with her word choice but they were not quite the right ones.

"To, you meant where to." Emala smiled at the gaff wondering how difficult it would be to learn an entirely foreign language. "Follow me." Both of them made their way to the lift and they waited quietly for it to come back up from engineering. They both got in when it arrived and made their way up one deck.

"What kind of room would you like? We have two larger double rooms and a single that are available for you to use." Emala asked as the two of them exited the lift and began to walk past room after room down the corridor.

"Could I see both?" Kate asked in a very deliberate manner while trying this time to get her words right.

"Of course." Emala smiled before she opened the door to the single room. "The single room has a small desk and a reasonable amount of storage along with a sink." Kate walked in and looked around. It was basic but had a good amount of space for work or anything else.

"The double?"

"This way." Emala opened the next door down the corridor before gesturing the human to enter. "This double has a larger bed but less storage space given that you get a private shower." Kate made her way to have a look at the shower in the opposite corner to the door.

"There is another?" Emala nodded and showed Kate the next door along.

"This room has no shower but more storage space than the other room." Kate thought the extra storage space was desperately needed given that she had brought more items that could not be stored in engineering.

"This one please." She was happy enough with the decision even though the privacy of a personal shower would have been nice. She placed the box she had been carrying down on the floor in the corner; Emala did the same with hers before the two of them begin to make their way back towards the lift.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

To Sam the choice of room was obvious. Since most of his junk had found a home down in engineering it was just pure floor space that he needed. The private shower was a nice addition given he was the only male onboard. It was not long before both Kate and Sam had taken all their stuff off the shuttle and had it packed away.

"Thank you Emala." Kate said as she brought the last box into the room and put it down before looking towards Kate sat on the side of the bed.

"No.." Emala got launched towards Kate knocking her flat onto the bed. She seemed to flounder a little while lying on top of Kate struggling to work out what best to do.

"Sorry about that, everyone, the sea, is a bit rough." Fosanta announced over the ships intercom as she and Adastra were having a little trouble. Emala eventually got off the human, the bright purple hue her face had taken on clearly showed her embarrassment.

"I am deeply sorry about that Kate." With that she very nearly ran out of the room. Sam was just coming out of the shared toilets next to the lift as Emala was approaching. He saw the embarrassment on her face but decided not to ask about it.

"Emala, would it be ok if I went to meet the other Asari onboard?" She said nothing but waved Sam into the lift. Kriana saw her daughter first when they got to the top deck.

"Oh Emala what happened?" She looked up to see Sam stood a distance behind Emala. "We will talk later." Emala nodded before moving to the back of the deck to sit on a seat out of the way. "What could I help you with?" There was a slightly accusing tone to Kriana's voice.

"I wished to meet Fosanta before going to bed." Sam did not seem to get the accusation which clearly riled the Asari.

"You could not wait?" The question sounded more like a statement.

"I know nothing about what happened with Emala. She was like that when I got in the lift. Could I at least say hello to Fosanta?" Kriana saw no hint of a lie from the human and so gestured him through to the bridge before she walked over to talk to Emala.

"Hello Fosanta, I am Sam. I just came to introduce myself."

"It is good to meet you Sam. Kriana gives everyone a hard time so do not let her get to you. Also you need to work on pronouncing your words." With that she cracked a small smile before getting back to work.

"Thank you for that advice. I should see you both in the morning if I do not get seasick before then."

"No problem. Have a pleasant night Sam."

"Hold on a second Sam." Adastra hastily input various things into the console. "Done. I will join you. Fosanta just execute program EX15 when we are full, it will take care of everything. Have a good night."

"Sleep well Adastra." Fosanta waved over her shoulder as Sam and Adastra left. Both of them looked at Emala who was also heading towards the lift. She looked a little shaken but otherwise seemed fine. The three of them stepped into the lift and the doors closed.

"You nearly got Sam into trouble there, would you like to share what happened?" Adastra was obviously taking advantage of the enclosed space and the speed of the lift.

"Not really, it was an accident."

"You saw Kate naked?" Sam did not intend to say that but it just blurted out. The memory of seeing Adastra naked in the bathroom was burned into his brain. As was the embarrassment which was quite similar to what Emala looked like.

"Oh, no. No nothing like that." Emala suddenly a bit flustered. "Why would you say that anyway?" The other two lift occupants blushed simultaneously then looked at each other and laughed.

"I can only say that you looked about as embarrassed as I looked." Sam did not disclose who he saw but he thought it was obvious.

"Turn that embarrassment into something good, I would see if she wants to talk." Adastra was obviously giving opposing advice to what Kriana had given the torn expression on Emala's face. At that point the doors opened and the two of them walked around Emala who was seemingly stuck on pause. She stood there until the doors started to close and she then quickly moved out of the lift. She looked down the corridor after exiting the lift to watch Adastra and Sam putting a hand around each others shoulders. "Why do I want to know what happened on the planet?" She said quietly to herself as she sat down on one of the seats to decide what to do next.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Which room did you take Sam?"

"The double room with the shower. The extra space and private shower swung it for me over the single." With that Adastra looked disappointed which did not evade Sam's attention. "What is wrong with that Adastra?"

"I was using the shower in that room instead of the communal one as, well, you know."

"You can still use it if you wish as long as I am not asleep or using it." Adastra stopped outside her room.

"I appreciate you understanding. Have a good night Sam."

"Night Adastra." Adastra gave Sam a smile before going through the door into her room and Sam shortly thereafter doing the same into his own.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Emala yawned as she walked towards her room, deciding it would be best to get some sleep after the difficult evening. She checked Kate's room to see if she would be willing to talk but the door was currently locked. "I will have a chat tomorrow," she mused to herself before she entered her own room.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**There are certainly a few interesting points in this chapter. As a warning, the odd section early on will make no sense at all for many chapters. It does have a reason why it is included here though.**

**We now know where the title of the story comes from, thanks to Adastra's slip-up. Next up is day one on-board the Enlighten.**

**Reading reviews is always nice whether they are critiquing the story or singing its praises. There is plenty more to come yet.**

**13/10/2013 - Chapter updated with re-edited version.**


	12. Chapter 12 : Help?

**Chapter 12 - Help**

* * *

><p><strong>27th December 2016<strong>

Sam woke up and looked around the room having no idea what time it was. He felt awake and well slept however and so decided to have a shower and find something to eat. He got up out of bed and made his way to the tiny shower room in the corner of his room. He approached the shower and turned it on to allow it to warm up as he removed his clothes. Sam then carefully put his foot into the spray of water. "Damn no hot water," he mumbled to himself as he wondered whether to risk frostbite or not. Reluctantly he turned off the shower and put is clothes for the day on. With that he walked out of his room and down the hallway to the lounge area. Emala was sat down digging into something, presumably food, but the single coloured mass on the plate was more wallpaper paste and sawdust than a full English.

"Good morning." Sam took a seat near Emala who looked up and nodded in greeting. "Where is everyone else?" Emala put down the spork on her plate.

"Kriana, Fosanta and Shiala are on the top deck trying to fix the communication and sensor arrays. Adastra and Kate are presumably still asleep and we are here." With that she picked up her spork and resumed eating.

"What is there for food around here?"

"I will help you out after I have finished as each person has their own allocation." Emala had seemingly decided to talk whilst eating this time.

"Fair enough. Did you get to talk to Kate last night?" She suddenly seemed to have a fascination with the bland mush on her plate.

"No. I am afraid I might have offended her."

"Emala. I doubt that you have, you just need to talk."

"How would you know?" Emala knew exactly where she was steering this conversation.

"I accidently walked in on Adastra back on Earth." Sam felt his face turning red yet again. "Surely your encounter could not be more awkward than that Emala?"

"Morning. It was not, no apology needed Emala. You did what Sam?" Kate said as she walked towards the tables knowing that something like this was not entirely unexpected.

"Great, this could not get any worse." Sam put his red face in his hands, hoping he would disappear.

"You. You saw Adastra? Her body? With nothing on?" A sense of disbelief and shock seemed to overcome Emala.

"Yes." Sam too embarrassed to say anything else.

"That is a big problem?" Kate asked as if she were trying to kill Sam with the embarrassment. Emala fortunately saved Sam from saying anything.

"Kate." Emala looked around to see if there is anyone else around but there was not. "No other Asari, as far as I can find out, has natural markings anywhere else on their body other than the face. Adastra has some on her hands especially her left. I presume there are also some on her body." Emala shifted a little as if she was under intense scrutiny and lowered her voice slightly. "Rumour has it that no one alive can remember ever seeing the markings on her body. Her parents could not and the last person who did see them disappeared." With that Kate nearly dropped through the floor and Sam suddenly felt like the luckiest and unluckiest person in the whole galaxy. He just held onto the small thread of hope that it was rumour and possibly fabricated.

"Disappeared, I heard it was suicide." A calm voice distinctly like Adastra's came from down the corridor severing the thread of hope Sam was clinging to and sending chills coursing through his body. "Anyway, is it ok to have a shower Sam?"

"Yes," was all that Sam could get out while feeling strangled by dread.

"Thank you." The sound of his bedroom door shutting echoed slightly down the hallway.

"I, I had no idea." Kate's mind began to boggle at how big this problem was. It certainly put yesterday's accident with Emala into the insignificant category. Kate put her arm around Sam for support knowing he was going to need it.

"I think you can see now why I am shocked." Emala added after a long pause where none of them said anything.

"Yes." Sam seemed to be lost in his own world, now that reality felt as if it was collapsing.

It was only five minutes before Adastra, who was looking bluer than ever, probably from the cold shower, walked up to the seating. She leaned over to Sam's ear and whispered in English, "You are safe." Adastra then moved to the empty seat near him and sat down. "Morning everyone."

"Morning Adastra." Emala said in a cheery manner, seemingly trying to stay on her good side.

"As you may have all guessed by now I was listening in on your conversation this morning. Sam, could I have a talk with you privately?" There was no real expression in Adastra's voice or face. Emala and Kate looked up, the look of shock and disbelief on their faces as Sam reluctantly stood and followed Adastra to her room.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam sat on Adastra's bed as the door closed locking as it did so. He wondered what was going to happen; on the one hand she had this rumour which had scared them all to death, and to which Adastra played to. On the other hand she said he was safe.

"Sam." Adastra saw no response from Sam as his mind kept spinning the two possibilities around. "Sam!" With that he looked up. Adastra started anxiously pacing the room.

"This should not have happened." Adastra seemed to be conflicted internally and with that Sam could begin to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Adastra sat down after a few more paces in her office chair before taking a deep breath. "I am going to be honest with you Sam." A small pause as if she was still in two minds about whether to talk or not. "The rumours are true, everyone else who knows does not remember and it was suicide for the last." With that a couple of tears rolled down her face. "I did not want to kill her as she was important to the Asari community. I just intended to give her a strong message as an example to others. I think the memory holes drove her insane."

"So that makes me the next unlucky candidate?" Sam stated with a voice of resignation.

Adastra wiped her eyes before moving from her chair to sit next to Sam on the bed before putting an arm around him. "No Sam..." Sam did not move with the touch or the words as he was much too anxious about what may happen. "Having that rumour has made my life both better and worse. It has allowed me for years to not worry about anyone trying to catch a glimpse of my body, but it has also made people scared. This is the first decent job I have had in years, and yet everyone, even Kriana is a little edgy around me."

"Kriana is scared of you?" Sam wondered how deep he could dig the hole before it got filled in.

"Yes, I think she thinks I could not do any damage to her mind, which I know to be untrue, but that Emala would be a likely alternative target. I also have a feeling Shiala has been briefed to shoot me if I try anything."

"Does this count as anything?" Adastra dropped her head.

"I am assuming the worst Sam."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Mother we have a problem, it is about Adastra." Emala quickly reeled off her tongue as soon as the lift doors opened.

"What about her, no one has..."

"Sam has!" Kriana's face turned slightly greyer than its usual dusty blue.

"Where are they?" She asked as if she was off to arrest a criminal.

"In her room."

"Shiala with me." Shiala joined Kriana and Emala in the lift as it descended a floor.

"Kriana, I personally do not think there is a problem." Shiala stated as a matter of fact.

"How can you say something like that, She has been known to be a ruthless, cold and calculating monster when triggered. I do not want that happening. Got it?" Kriana's voice was a little sharp in response to Shiala.

"Yes Captain." Shiala internally resigned herself to playing the role of captain's doormat for a couple of hours.

The doors of the lift opened and the three occupants exited. "Emala stay on the seats." Emala knew better than to say anything when Kriana was in a mood like this and so just does as Kirana had asked of her. Shiala and Kriana walked down the hallway, Kriana with a sense of purpose, quickly getting to Adastra's room.

"Adastra open the door." Kriana announceed through the door intercom.

"I can only see one way out of this." Sam turned to Adastra who looked worse than he had earlier. "Do you trust me?" Adastra managed a small smile and a small nod before she buried her head in her hands.

"Hello Kriana." Sam replied back through the intercom.

"Let us in Sam, we can help."

"Kriana. It is a friendly talk; you would be of no help."

"Do you know what she did with everyone else? Including her parents?"

"Every detail. What proof would you need to show that it is only me that is in possible danger? As far as I can gather only people who have seen her are at risk. No one on this crew besides myself has done that."

"It is the potential Sam."

"I am assuming that Shiala has said to you that it would not be a problem?" Sam was now banking on the fact that Shiala seemed to have a rough idea what was happening.

"That is not the point." With that Sam banged his head against the door as he may as well had been taking to the wall. The knock to the head did however seem to dislodge an idea from his mind.

"Adastra, can you strip and pull the bed sheets over you? I promise not to look."

"Ok, I hope whatever you are thinking works." With that she did as Sam suggested, all the time Sam looked at the corner of the room. "Done."

"Kriana, I am going to open the door in a few seconds. Just as a warning it will not be what you expect." Sam then set the lock on a disengage timer.

"Adastra, can I get into the bed under the covers with you?" Adastra nodded with a slight confused expression on her face. Sam, without looking back, slid in so that he was between Adastra and the door. He just managed to get the covers over him as the door unlocked. Kriana almost came running in with Shiala less desperate.

"Get out of the bed Sam!" Kriana was clearly in a rage haze. Shiala stood just behind Kriana and a small smile crept on to her face.

"You really want me to do that?" Sam nodded towards the pile of clothes neatly deposited on the chair. Adastra had a dark, upset expression on her face. Shiala's smile grew with this as she knew it was a stalemate. If either of them were moved they were also marked as potential targets.

"They were placed there, Shiala get Sam out of here?" When no movement occurred she turned to face Shiala. "What are you smiling for?"

"They have every reason not to lie. If you are to do anything you have to do it yourself. You are not in danger yet so I will wait outside." With that Shiala turned and began to walk towards the door.

"You cannot do this Shiala, you were brought in exactly for this situation." The stern tone in her voice was not quite enough to get to Shiala who only paused for a second in the doorway.

"Sam is not covered in my contract to be protected." With that she walked out, the door shutting behind her.

"I will have to sort this out myself then." Kriana stated out loud to the door.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Shiala walked to the seating area and sat down opposite Kate and Emala who had their arms around each other. They both looked up when Shiala came back.

"Is Sam going to be ok?" Kate did not bother using the Asari language as she wished to get her feelings out.

"I assume he is ok at the moment given he is lying next to a naked Adastra. The biggest problem is Kriana though." Shiala said as she looked towards the other two.

"He is what?" Emala wondered if Sam had a death wish.

"Adastra was covered by the bed sheets and so I could not tell if she was naked or not, although I assumed so as her clothes were on a chair." Shiala was trying her best to give as much detail as possible. "It does mean, if she is lacking clothes, that if either of them are pulled from the bed that the person pulling gets a good look."

"Kriana is still in there?" Emala seemed to be clearly worrying about her mother now.

"Hopefully she will come to the same conclusion I did and leave them to work it out, however that may end." Shiala knew that she would not drive Sam to suicide but removal of the memory was still a possibility.

"How can you say that?" Kate still using English.

"I think Adastra's trigger is not her markings but... Oh..." Shiala quickly got up from the table before jogging down the corridor.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Kriana, if you leave me with Sam everything will be fine." Adastra had no hate but no real warmth to her voice.

"You know I cannot let you do this and ruin my reputation Adastra. Sam. Get out of here or I will drag you out." Kriana suddenly seemed to express an evil tone in her rage.

"Kriana, you are not special." Adastra with no emotion stated clearly. With that both of them could see a blue glow which started to gather around her. The door to the room suddenly opened and Kriana was pulled from the room with biotics. The door closed soon after her flying exit.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kriana was knocked out as she hit the wall on the opposite side of the corridor. Emala and Kate came running up to see what the noise was. They both saw the door lock out of the corner of their eyes but Sam was not the one who was immediately on both of their minds.

"Goddess. What happened?" Emala asked as she knelt down beside Kriana.

"I protected her from doing something she would regret, a bruised ego and a headache is better than inciting violence." Shiala seemed to wish to show her philosophical side. "We should get her to her bed but I am going to keep her in her room until we reach the Citadel."

"Why are you keeping her in her room?" Kate asked, again in English, obviously she had forgotten that Emala could not speak a word of it.

"She is safer there. Fosanta and myself will take turns but I need your and Emala's help to keep her there as I can see her being rather upset when she comes around."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Sam, lock the door." Adastra whispered in Sam's ear. Sam got up and locked the door; he looked around to see Adastra had sat up on the bed with sheet around her from the neck down. Adastra motioned him to sit next to her.

"Sam, Could I ask something?" Her voice sounded more caring and warm again. Sam noticed this small difference and suddenly felt happier.

"Sure."

"I have to keep the reputation Sam. Sorry." Sam's heart re-sank. "But, I would like to help you create a scrambled memory in your mind, one that is semi-hidden. It would make remembering specifics without concentrating difficult, hence giving the illusion of your memory being wiped but without it being." Adastra looked at Sam with a caring smile and hoped that she would not be forced to wipe his memory.

"I can see why you would like to keep the reputation. It sounds like you are going out of your way to help me though?" Sam wondered why he was so special. Adastra looked pained at that statement before relenting and letting out a sigh.

"There is an Asari on the Citadel who is known for helping people with problems. She was deemed the only one that could help me and so was forced to meet me and help." Adastra paused and Sam put his arm around her. "She took one look through my notes, and realising that she could not meld without seeing me refused to help. Her words were `I feel you are stronger than even I. You will however one day meet someone who can help. I apologise for not being more helpful to you`." With that Sam put two and two together.

"You think?" The confused tone to his question hid his surprise quite effectively. Adastra got up off the bed and dropped the sheet from around her as she walked towards the chair which had her clothes on. Sam was too shocked to turn around or even look away from the wonderful sight in front of him. "Yes. This is not exactly comfortable after decades of hiding, but I do not feel threatened. I just hope that you do not feel disappointed if I do not turn around yet though." Adastra just stood there facing away from Sam waiting for a response.

"I understand Adastra. Take all the time you need." Sam knew all to well how hard it was to recover from yourself even if he was a little disappointed at only getting half a look again.

"Thank you Sam." With that Adastra started putting her clothes back on. Once done, she turned around and sat back down next to him. "I need to mention that you may feel some nervous system instability for a while after this. I will however try and keep any headaches to a minimum. Is that ok Sam?" Sam did not see a whole lot of choice but he did trust Adastra in an odd way.

"Yes. It is the headaches that bother me more." Adastra gave him a smile before hugging him for a few moments.

"Get yourself comfortable and relax." Sam shuffled up into the corner of the bed so his back was against the corner of the room. "Close your eyes. Find that link you have held previously that exists between you and I. Pull it towards you. Embrace eternity."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra walked into the now familiar library but it seemed less dingy than it had been previously. "Hello Adastra." The voice was definitely Sam but it was not immediately obvious where from given the room allowed quite an echo. Adastra looked around, and then up to see Sam at the top of some ladders changing the bulb in a light fitting. "I thought it was time I replaced the bulbs given I seem to be spending time in here now."

Adastra laughed, "Sorry about making you aware of yourself Sam. Do you have a space around here that I can drop things into?" Sam climbed down the ladder.

"Follow me." The pair of them went down several isles to stumble across an empty shelf in the middle of rows and rows of full ones. "I have not yet found a use for this shelf as everything already has somewhere else to go and I have never felt it right to move anything here. It is yours if it would suffice." Adastra studied it for a few seconds. It was only a small space but would not be suspicious if someone went searching as there were plenty of gaps elsewhere.

"It would be perfect for the job. Could you take me to where you have stored me?" Sam smiled.

"That didn't quite sound right did it? This way." Adastra followed laughing a little.

"Not really, but you could not think of a better way to say it." Sam nodded but was curious as to why Adastra was not doing all the running around.

"Is there a reason that I'm running around this time and not you?"

"It gives you less of a headache if you do the work." The pair walked around a couple more corners.

"This is everything from Christmas day and today Adastra." Sam pointed to a set of shelves.

"Could you hand me the one that covers when I got undressed Sam?" Sam was a little puzzled as to why but he quickly plucked the book out of the shelf and handed it to Adastra who quickly read through it. "You can keep that one here, along with the explanations that I gave. Only the ones with my markings I would like you to move." Sam carefully worked through all the books that could contain Adastra's markings and ended up with only four books.

"This is all of them. Back to the shelves?"

"No, to the desk first." They were not too far from there but Sam was feeling a little left out.

"Are you being deliberately vague Adastra?" She paused and then continued.

"No I need to do something with these books." Sam seemed a little confused.

"Like?" They had got to the front desk by now.

"Could I take the books off you for a minute, I'll be right back." With that Adastra took the books out of the door.

The fire was a warming flicker and actually added a bit of warmth back into the room after the dim lighting had been replaced. "I need to put a wooden floor in here, would make it feel warmer than this stone one." Sam mused to himself to pass the time. Adastra however overheard what he said.

"I agree wood would be better. Anyway here are your new books." Adastra handed four of the eight books that were in her arms to Sam before tossing the rest on the fire. The fire changed from a gentle orange flicker to a roaring yellow as the books burned vigorously.

"What have you just done?"

"If you look inside the books you will notice that that the pages are out of order even though the page numbers are sequential. Since we experienced the event then we know the correct order the pages should be in but anyone else wouldn't. Short of copying your whole mind it would be too difficult to work out the correct order quickly."

"That sort of makes sense." Adastra gave Sam a hug which was a little awkward around the books in his arms.

"I will leave you to put these on that shelf we picked. I cannot thank you enough for this." With that Adastra left the library and Sam's mind.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam opened his eyes to find Adastra cross legged in front of him. "How do you feel Sam?" Sam looked around as if his eyes were looking inside his head trying to find something.

"The headache is much better than previous melds." Sam's stomach rumbled in agreement. "Want to get some breakfast?" Adastra nodded as she got up off the bed. She then approached the sheet that was on the bedroom floor before picking it up and throwing it back where it belonged. Sam shuffled to the edge of the bed and tried to stand but he found his legs are not quite doing what he thought.

"I did warn you about that Sam. You might be like this for an hour or two." With that Adastra put her arm under Sam's and helped him up. He was not quite dead weight but he was not exactly helping himself along. Adastra with her free hand unlocked the door and then opened it.

"What have you done Adastra?" The slight fear in Shiala's stomach just about showed through her usually friendly expression on her face.

"I believe you already know." Adastra's voice was one of warmth and wisdom which only made everything seem worse than it was.

"Sam!" Kate saw Sam and looked at Adastra with a cold stare. "What did you do to him?"

"You have seen Sam like this before remember." Adastra deftly avoided the question but she felt that it was rhetorical anyway.

"Kate, I am fine other than this neural instability, honest. I just want breakfast."

"Goddess. The rumours were true then." Fosanta seemed shocked as she stood in the hallway, half way between Sam and the seating area. The pair started walking towards her and she started walking backwards as if they had some kind of disease.

"Fosanta, there is absolutely nothing for you to be scared of." Sam amused at the actions of the Asari.

"Look what has happened to you Sam." Fosanta was still walking backwards.

"A bit of temporary neural instability, to be fair it is quite an improvement over the bad headaches I got previously." Fosanta was a bit puzzled by that given a headache would be worse if a memory had been taken forcefully. She did not dare ask how she had made Sam remove his own thoughts. With that she turned around and at a quick pace went to the toilets.

Adastra carefully placed Sam on a seat before preparing a meal for them both. As the pair of them started digging in to their meal, Sam missing his mouth a few times before figuring out how to control his arm, Emala came out of Kriana's room and saw the two of them.

"Did it happen?" Emala asked Kate and Shiala who were in the corridor with a dread in the pit of her stomach. The two of them just turned their heads and nodded.

Sam was not particularly bothered that the food looked like mashed up cardboard, its sweet Weetabix taste wasn't bad and he probably would have eaten anything since he was hungry.

Shiala, Kate and Emala just watched on as Adastra cleared both of their plates away before helping Sam up to walk to the lift. Kate just put her head in her hands, the fear and the confusion all hitting at once now the threat was reduced. Shiala put an arm around Kate.

"Kate, go and have a sit down. It has been a long morning. I am sure Fosanta will get you something to eat when she gets back." Kate looked to Shiala and nodded before going to her room.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra and Sam spent the next three hours re-wiring the main plasma thruster and electrolysis system with the cable Sam had brought along. He was struggling with dexterity at first so he cut the cable to length and Adastra fitted it.

"This is the last piece Sam; it looks like Fosanta had to vent engineering last night to stop this old wire from burning up." Adastra held up a single mass of grey plastic covered cable which had large amounts of black charring on. Sam looked up at the cable but he had something on his mind.

"Would you mind if I went back up for a drink and to try and smooth things over with everyone." Adastra threw the cable to one side and smiled at Sam.

"I will give you twenty minutes to talk and then I will join you for a drink. Just be careful when you are walking." Sam nodded as Adastra went back to pulling all the burnt cable out of the ducting. Sam headed gingerly towards the lift trying not to fall or walk into anything.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"She does not say much does she?" Fosanta voiced her observations to Emala after she had exited Kate's room from dropping off her breakfast.

"I think she is uncomfortable with our language as I have heard her talking, seemingly at length in her own language." Emala looked towards Shiala for a confirmation.

"Yes, although I just think she needs a little help."

"Who needs help?" Sam was approaching the two Asari and seemed to be trying hard to walk in a reasonably straight line down the hallway.

"Sam. What are you doing up here?" Emala did not seem all too pleased for some reason.

"You have fifteen minutes to ask any questions you wish before Adastra comes back up. I am guessing that you both have some?" Sam stated as if he had been told what to say prior to his arrival. It was however just that he was concentrating on walking rather than talking.

"Was she really naked in the bed Sam?" Shiala wanted to ensure that she had done the right thing by dragging Kriana out of the room.

"Yes Shiala." Sam leaned up against the wall to hold himself up. "It was my idea; she seriously thought you would kill her."

"I am on a contract to protect the crew and one of the clauses is about Adastra. It says nothing about visitors to the ship though, so I would not unless she was going to hurt one of the crew." Shiala tried her best to explain without making Sam feel unprotected.

"You suggested her to strip in the same room as yourself?" Emala still seemed to have doubts as to whether Sam was an idiot or not.

"Yes Emala. She must have got dressed too." Sam looked towards the ceiling as he attempted to remember anything and coming up with nothing solid.

"You cannot remember?" Fosanta jumped in before Emala and got a glare from the younger Asari for steeling her words.

"I am not sure Fosanta. All I know for definite is that she had a bed sheet around her while she was sat next to me. The next thing I can remember is her sitting clothed next to me. The sheet was on the floor in the middle of the room just before we left." Sam wondered if it was because the memory was scrambled that he had no solid recollection.

"Sam, why are you taking all these risks?" Kate had now heard the commotion outside and come to see what was happening. Of course she had used English yet again.

"They do not feel like risks Kate." Sam looked at everyone. "Since the only person that is not here is Kriana then I may as well say what I have on my mind. Adastra is really feeling the mistrust from you all. If everyone could show her that there are no hard feelings and treat her as you always have she would be happier." Sam looked at the sea of faces all of which seemed to be more interested in an invisible ant on the floor. "Does anyone want to join me for a drink?"

"No Sam, I am going to sit with Kriana." Emala looked slightly worried as she remembered her mother. She therefore quickly went back into their room.

"Sorry Sam, perhaps later." Shiala seemed to still be determined to try and keep Kriana in her room.

"I think I will." Sam was a little intrigued at Fosanta accepting but he guessed she only knew half of what happened.

"Kate?" Sam hoped that she would make an effort, if not for Adastra for him. Kate sighed.

"Ok." Sam turned around before collapsing on to the floor as he forgot about having to concentrate to stay stood up.

"Great. Could some one kindly help me up?" Fosanta helped him to his feet as Kate seemed to freeze; she also gave him someone to lean on as the three of them made their way to the seats. Sam sat down on one side of the table, Fosanta and Kate on the other.

"I get the feeling both of you still have questions. I will do my best to answer them." Fosanta dug up for the courage to ask her burning question.

"Sam, forceful melding gives great pain and yet you say you have none, how?"

"I let her remove it." Fosanta rose what would account for eyebrows. Sam saw that she needed a longer explanation to be satisfied. "The situation was an accident with no malicious intent behind it. We agreed neither of us needed to get hurt." Fosanta wondered if Adastra was as bad a person as the rumours suggested.

"You willingly let Adastra mess with your mind?" Kate seemed to be feeling more comfortable now she was back in full English mode.

"She told me what to do and under her guidance I did it. So no it is not really messing." Sam tried his best to answer but he got the feeling that he could be making more questions than he could provide answers for.

"Kate. If you are uncomfortable speaking Asari then could I at least learn your language? It is a bit uncomfortable not knowing what you are saying." Sam saw this as a perfect time to get his oar in.

"You could do with being comfortable speaking Asari Kate. I will drop the bet this time as it will be helpful to you."

"I could teach you Kate, if you did not want Fosanta to do so." Adastra said aloud as she walked across to the kitchen area from the toilets. Sam had no idea how long she had been on this deck.

"I think it is a bit unfair to take advantage of people fearing you Adastra." Sam shouted over as Kate turned to Fosanta

"After a drink?" Fosanta smiled

"That is fine Kate."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

It was only a couple of minutes before Adastra brought four drinks to the table and sat next to Sam. Kate and Fosanta suddenly became a touch uncomfortable, shifting in their seats, which made Adastra's smile dissipate as she started studying the table top. Sam put his arm around Adastra. "Adastra and I have this morning been working on repairing the ship. I was not exactly in a good state but I still helped. We are trying to make an effort to be normal, could you two do the same, at least until we have the ship repaired?"

"I will try Sam. Sorry Adastra, the fear tears at me even though I know I have nothing to worry about."

The three of them then turn to Kate who felt as if she was being put on the spot a little. "You scare me with your potential Adastra but I will trust you to use it only when you absolutely have to." Adastra nodded to Kate as a slight smile returned to her face.

"Could you two carry on fixing the communications array after you are finished with everything else?" Sam wanted to try to get the ship back to something approaching normal so that they could eventually leave. Both of individuals opposite him nodded as Adastra helped Sam up and the two of them head to the lift. Kate finished her drink before becoming a little apprehensive about what that signalled.

"Kate, I am guessing from you looking a little nervous that Adastra and Shiala have frightened you a little."

"You all frighten me."

"I would ask why but I know you are uncomfortable with the language. I am guessing you would rather be somewhere a little private?"

"Yes." The two of them got up from the table and Fosanta followed Kate to her room. The pair of them gave a nod to Shiala before they entered Kate's room. Fosanta locked the door to the room after she had entered.

"I would recommend that you find somewhere comfortable to sit Kate." Kate decided to sit down cross legged on the bed. "I am guessing you have done this before?" Kate nodded but tried not to remember the pain from last time. Fosanta sat down on the edge of the bed near Kate but gave her plenty of personal space. "It will be easier this time Kate. Are you happy to carry on?" Kate reluctantly nodded. "Close your eyes and try to clear your head Kate. When you have a blank void try to imagine a cluster of billions of dots, each one connected to every other. Instinctively try and pull one of those dots closer. Embrace eternity."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate shook her head as the corridor reappeared in front of her like last time. "This is your mind Kate." Kate turned around to find the source of the voice only to find Fosanta standing behind her. "Yes I am in your mind. Could you show me where the Asari language is kept?"

'I would say follow me but you do not know English.' Kate thought to herself.

"I will happily follow you Kate." Fosanta said with a smile on her face.

"You can read my mind?" Kate seemed a little bemused at that thought.

"Kate it would be pointless if I could not. I must point out that I can only understand English until we break the connection as it is your mind that is processing the data. Could you show me where Asari is kept?" Kate seemed a little shaken but was happy enough to walk down the corridor to the fifth door on the right. She stood outside and gestured Fosanta to enter. Fosanta walked in before opening a drawer on the first filing cabinet nearest the door. She then began to dig through all the papers contained within. "Well this is why you are struggling." Fosanta pulled most of the drawer's contents out as one large pile and places it on top of the filing cabinet. She then looks inside the next drawer down and does the same to that drawer's contents.

"What are you doing?"

"Most people move and separate the information to suit their natural layout. You have seemingly ignored doing that and just have it as a giant block of data which is not easy to find anything in. Could I ask if it was just Asari that you were given or did you get lots of other information?"

"I got more than just the language; it has taken me a long time to work out what though. Why do you ask?"

"I was just confused as to why there has been so little effort applied to trying to understand the data. Having a lot of other information to process would account for that. Your mind was overloaded if you will." Fosanta spoke as she filed away the papers in roughly the right logical order. "I do apologise if some of this is not in the correct place but you should naturally sort out any mistakes quite quickly."

"Sam said he taught Adastra and Shiala English. How that works I do not know but would you like to do the same?" Fosanta stopped before looking around to Kate standing in the doorway, a warm smile on her face.

"I would greatly appreciate that Kate." Fosanta after a couple of moments got back to finishing off filing the last of the papers. "I am assuming that English is in a separate room?" Fosanta put the last of the papers back before closing the drawer with a thud and looking towards the human.

"It is next door." Fosanta gave Kate a smile before she followed her next door. The two of them walked into the room and Fosanta began to logically work through the filling cabinets one at a time. "So this is it?" Kate seemed surprised by the lack of much happening

"Well this gives me the information I need to process the language Kate. If I take my time I can also work out the grammatical rules. Unfortunately this gives me very little idea how to pronounce any of the words, as you no doubt know from trying to speak Asari. I do apologise in advance for mistakes but I am hoping not to use it as you really need to use Asari almost exclusively."

"So it is basically giving you a dictionary and the grammatical rules then letting you get on with working out the rest?"

"There are a few other bits of information but what you say is essentially true. It is not a way to learn something in five minutes. You still need to do some work yourself and get plenty of practice."

"How will you get the practice if you want me to concentrate on speaking Asari?"

"I sleep with Shiala Kate. I am sure that she would appreciate having a bit of a talk before bed." Fosanta closed the last drawer. "I really appreciate you letting me learn English Kate. I also hope you find Asari easier to use now. You may find you have a headache when I break the connection as that is mostly from me moving data around. Think of it as the brain complaining about being confused."

"As long as the headache is not as bad as was last time." Fosanta left the side room before Kate to make her way towards the door at the end of the corridor.

"There is only one way to find out." Fosanta walked through the door and Kate's mind faded to black.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Kate. I would recommend you lying down for a while if your headache is bad." Kate opened her eyes with the revelation that the headache was not light sensitive this time but it was still a fairly annoying, numb pain.

"I am sure that I will be fine, as long as you do not need me to think too much. What did Sam and Adastra tell us to do?" Kate asked in Asari at least as she rubbed her head.

"We need to attempt to fix the communications array fully, or at least enough to get us back to the Citadel anyway. If you are well enough to pass me things that I may need then I would appreciate your help."

"I think I can manage that." Fosanta stood up from the bed with a smile on her face. Kate carefully shuffled to the side of the bed before pushing herself upright. She manages to stay upright even if she looked rather imbalanced. Fosanta then put her arm around Kate to help her to walk down the corridor and into the lift.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**These re-edited chapters take such a long time to produce it would almost be quicker to rewrite them entirely. Ahh well, I hope it all is worth it so that it reads better.**

**13/10/2013 - Chapter updated with re-edited version.**


	13. Chapter 13 : Working Together

**Chapter 13 - Working Together**

* * *

><p>After a few hours Kriana stirred. "Where am I?" She asked not knowing there was anyone in the room. Emala ran over from the chair to stand by Kriana's side.<p>

"You are in your bed mother. How do you feel?" Kriana held her head.

"I have a headache. How did I end up here?" Emala wondered whether to tell her but thought it would be best to do so.

"Shiala protected you from Adastra." With that a renewed anger seemed to wash over Kriana.

"Protected me? Where is she now?" Emala opened the door and asked Shiala to come in.

"Kriana." Shiala was trying to be formal without calling her captain.

"How dare you undermine my authority and injure me in the process." Her voice was a little weak but still had a determined note about it. Shiala just continued however.

"Kriana, I stopped you of doing something stupid. Sam is fine excluding a couple of small pieces of memory and is working with Adastra in engineering."

"He should not be working on the ship with a raging headache." Kriana clearly had not listened to the fact he is with Adastra and is fine.

"There was no headache." Shiala ensured that Kriana noticed the emphasis on the no this time.

"You what?" Kriana had clearly heard what Shiala had said but it threw her rage right into confusion.

"He had a minor headache at worst Kriana." Shiala attempted to make the point perfectly clear before going to get Fosanta from outside. The two of them walk back in a few seconds later. "Fosanta spoke to Sam after the incident about the headache." Kriana gestured for Fosanta to give her input.

"He said the incident was accidental and had no malicious intent, so Adastra agreed neither person should suffer."

"How did he manage to get her to agree to that?" Kriana was still confused and now had more questions than answers in her head.

"Well she did willingly strip while in the same room as he was in." Shiala added to point out that she would have been in danger had she had moved Sam.

"She was naked in that bed?" Kriana looked overly confused towards Shiala who just nodded in response.

"I hope you do not take this the wrong way but I am keeping you in this room until you have recovered and no longer want to provoke Adastra, or we reach the Citadel, whichever is first." Shiala stated before leaving the room with Fosanta.

"Emala, could you get Sam up here for me?"

"Sure." Emala gave her mother a smile before leaving the room and making her way down to engineering.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"These drive circuits have been blown clean off their mountings. How much power did you put through them?" Sam looked towards a blackened mounting and thought to himself that it must have been one hell of an explosion.

"I have no idea, probably a few Petajoules." Sam attempted to work out that amount of power in his head only to give up and leave it at some number with fifteen zeros on the end. "Only the source drive has been damaged on this thruster, what about on yours Sam?"

"Erm, it is difficult to tell as which ever one was damaged no longer exists, looks like it could be the drain though." Sam was starting to thank that he had done electronics at school. "Are you thinking of trying to make one working one?"

"Yes as the waste heat these thrusters created was used for hot water."

"Sam. Could Kriana have a talk to you?" A quiet voice asked from entrance to the maintenance area. Sam looked over to Adastra.

"I will be a while getting this board off this thruster. You may as well see what she wants." Sam nodded and then left.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I was busy Kriana, what would you like to know?" Sam wasted no time with formalities.

"How you managed to talk Adastra out of harming you?" Kriana was adamant she would get to the bottom of this.

"I did not. Next question?" Kriana did a double take. This was making less and less sense, her reputation was for cold ruthlessness, but this was different. She would dwell on that later as she quickly remembered another part of the conversation that had irked her.

"Adastra said that I was not special." She scrunched her nose up as if she had smelt something bad. "Do you know what her intention was with that statement?" Kriana hated being called nothing special.

"A warning. She told me a well known Asari that helps people on the citadel refused to help her because she thought she was stronger than her. Adastra did also tell me that you think that she could not harm your mind but you were mistaken. Anything else you wish to ask?" Kriana suddenly went from feeling relatively safe to a little scared as she shook her head at Sam. He quickly left the room to go back to engineering, leaving Kriana to mull over how an Asari who was barely in her matron years was quite so strong.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am back." Sam shouted to Adastra through the entrance to the maintenance area as he climbed in. "Kriana no longer thinks she is safe." Adastra remained expressionless as she concentrated on the job at hand.

"She never was. Anything else?"

"I think she is also confused as to why you decided not to forcefully remove my memories." Sam was now kneeling next to Adastra and the plasma thruster.

"She may think it is guilt from last time and that I am softening up. That would be a bad assumption for her to make." Adastra smiled at Sam as she pulled off the undamaged part of the drive circuit. "Got it."

"We should get this fixed as I could really do with a shower that will not induce hypothermia." Adastra laughed a little as she moved to the thruster Sam was looking at earlier. She placed the board where the absent one had previously been before beginning to fasten it in place and wire it up.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Fosanta, would you rather have basic sensors or basic communications? I am only asking as there are not enough undamaged wires here for both." Kate really wouldn't be your first choice for technical things, but given the right tools, and the manual, she seemed to do well.

"If there was some balance that could be found with a slight preference to communications then that would be best. I can live without the FTL comms, but everything else is good to have." With that Fosanta pulled off another panel to allow her to attempt to fix some instrumentation in the cockpit that was not right.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kriana had been let out of her room by Shiala after realising just what danger she had put herself in earlier on. Everyone was in the seating area having bland mush with a bland mush dessert.

"Everyone. Tomorrow morning we will depart for the Citadel as all the major repairs have been completed. Sam and Kate. This means that you need to make your decision tonight as to whether you wish to go back or not." Kriana was clearly back in her role as captain.

Sam looked at Adastra who was next to him, "Kriana, I am staying." With that Adastra nearly flattened Sam in her enthusiasm to give him a big hug. Kate looked around and wondered if this was the right place for her. "Kriana I will get back to you later." Kriana nodded before sitting back down to eat her meal.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra walked into Sam's room to find him attempting to connect his computer up. "You do have a console already fitted that should be adequate, if it was not broken in the discharge." Adastra noted as Sam banged his elbow again.

"It is adequate if you can work the thing." Sam sounded a little muffled with his head under the desk. He backs out to sit on the floor. "This computer has all my files on from Earth and I am guessing, but they probably will not work on that." Sam pointed towards the console in the corner.

"True. Are you ok if I take a shower?" Sam nodded.

"Go for it; tell me if it is warm." Adastra laughed a little before quickly making her way into the small shower room.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam finished wiring everything up just as the shower stopped running. "Well all this cable certainly adds something to the room." He said aloud to himself as he looked down to see the plug of the power strip taunting him. "Just a pity its only use is an aesthetic one at the moment." Adastra opened the door to the small shower room. "What power supply do these rooms get?" Sam asked before looking to Adastra who was looking bluer than normal again.

"500v DC, and yes the shower is still cold. Evidently the thruster we thought we had fixed is beyond that."

"Great. I was looking forward to a warm shower and a film this evening." Sam then had an idea but wondered if it would be possible. "I have had an idea, is there a way to get a cable from engineering into here?"

"There is a ventilation duct that a cable could be laid into, what are you thinking?"

"I have a 240v AC generator in engineering that I brought with the gas turbine. I am not sure if Kriana would like the idea of having something like that running on-board though." Sam looked towards Adastra to see if she thought it was a good idea or not.

"There was an extra part between the engine and the generator, if I remember correctly. Was that to cool the exhaust gas Sam?"

"Yes, why?" Adastra suddenly expressed a little enthusiasm.

"I will give you a hint; it begins with hot and ends in showers." Sam got a large grin on his face once the penny finally dropped. "We should go now as it may be possible to complete the install before bed time."

"That sounds like a good idea." Adastra left the room with Sam following just behind. He stopped outside Kate's door and the lack of footsteps behind her caused Adastra to look around.

"What is wrong Sam?"

"Do you think Kate would like to join us?"

"There is only one way to find out I suppose." Adastra walked towards Kate's door and gave it a knock.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Fosanta knocked on Kate's door and she is greeted with the door opening a few seconds later to reveal Kate standing there. "Is there anything that I could help with regarding you staying or not Kate?"

"Come in." With that Fosanta entered and sat down on the side of the bed. Kate took a seat next to her. "I am a little afraid of leaving Earth Fosanta. I know I will be accepted there and there is no way to know how we will be welcomed out there. I have however sort of said goodbye so it would look silly to go back." Fosanta put her arm around the red haired human.

"I appreciate that this is a big decision for you Kate. However, since you are quite similar to Asari I can see no reason why most individuals would not welcome you Kate."

"This has got to be the biggest decision I will ever make as it is unlikely we will ever make it back."

"If you decide to stay I am sure everyone who is on the ship would help you in any way that they can. You would not just be thrown off at the other end and left to work everything out for yourself."

"Would I be safe enough to go about my life without getting hassled?"

"I am sure if you stayed on Asari worlds or the Citadel then security would not be an issue. You will probably feel a little like you are being watched, as you would be a minor celebrity out there. If you are friendly but keep as much as you can a secret I do not see it as a big problem."

"Right. Are there any pictures of anywhere that I could look at?"

"I am sorry I cannot help you with information like that as it is wrong to bias your decision Kate. I hope that you do not feel any pressure from us for you to stay. We would of course like you to do so but if you decide not to do so then we would accept the decision wholeheartedly."

"I understand. I think Sam trusted everyone from the first minute on-board, I am still finding my legs so to speak. It is however easier when you have a fairly good grasp of the language you need though. Thank you again for helping me with that."

"That is no problem Kate." Both of them heard a knock on the door and wondered who it could be.

"Come in." Kate decided that moving from the bed was pointless.

Adastra and Sam walked in, "Oh, sorry if we interrupted anything."

"No it is fine. What did you want?"

"Sam wondered if you wished to help us setup his jet engine in engineering Kate?"

"What is a jet engine?" Fosanta had clearly not heard of them before.

"It was a technology we had up until about four thousand years ago, but quickly felt out of use in favour of element zero cores. It does look suitably impressive though."

"I am up for that, as it sounds interesting. What about you Kate?"

"It sounds like something different to do." Kate actually sounded fairly happy for the first time today.

"We should get this done so we can have some hot water." Sam seemed to forget that Kate and Fosanta still thought that it was fixed.

"I thought you fixed that this afternoon?"

"Evidently not as Adastra looked like an icicle again after her shower. I am not having a cold shower so that is even more incentive to get it working."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Fosanta dropped a thick alloy plate close to the ventilation duct to the rooms as Sam and Kate lifted the engine from its box.

"It seems very busy down here all of a sudden. What is happening?" Kriana was evidently wondering where everyone was and had appeared in engineering with Emala and Shiala.

"Sam brought this engine onboard with him that should give us hot water and allow Kate and Sam to power their technology." Fosanta tried to be as descriptive as possible with the small amount of knowledge she had gleaned from the lift journey down. The engine was partially in place and they were now in the process of connecting, fuel, water and power.

"That thing is going to make enough hot water for a shower?" Kriana looked at the device on the floor with a little suspicion as it was much smaller compared to the rest of the equipment in engineering.

"If the load is low it might be more warm than hot but that is still better than cold." Sam explained as he dragged a hydrogen pipe from the manifold. The other six were plumbing the cooling water and a tank that was used on the shuttle onto the engine.

It only took four hours from start to finish with everyone working together. Sam wired the last sensor to the control unit and then looked at Adastra and Kate. "It ideally needs two people to start it. Kate and Adastra if you wish to?"

Adastra had a childlike glee written all over her face and Kate a wide smile. "What do we do Sam?"

"Open the air line until its running as fast as it will go. Then open the fuel line and press the ignition button. Once the engine starts speeding up turn off the air line."

Kate opens the compressed air line and the turbine immediately started spinning up. The high pitch began to get annoying just as it levelled off at its full speed.

"Is it always this loud?" Kriana shouted to Sam who was stood next to her.

"No, this is quiet. Adastra open the fuel." With that Adastra opened the hydrogen valve and both of them go for the ignition button at the same time. The two of them looked to each other, shared a smile. Adastra held her finger above the button and Kate put her hand on Adastra's allowing them both to push the button together. It looked like nothing happened, Kate and Adastra turned to look at Sam. "Stand back and wait for it." All seven of them watched this lump of metal as it suddenly started to spin faster than all except Sam thought was possible. The noise was well past hearing range and was like a high frequency static. Sam turned off the air line as the engine throttled itself back due to there being no load on the generator. He waved them all to the lift as it was impossible to hear anything. With that they all piled into the lift, grateful when the door closed.

"That was, impressive." Shiala said with a smile, seemingly impressed at the overcomplicated method to get hot water and power. Adastra had a massive grin on her face with Kate and Fosanta not being far behind.

"I am actually happy it worked but even if it did not we still got something out of this evening, all of us." Everyone except Adastra and Kate looked confused at what Sam had just said, with Kate and Adastra just having a more subdued smile. "We might have mistrust and differing opinions amongst us at the moment, but we can put those differences aside to work together. Kate I thought you might like some help in showing that Asari are not all that much different to ourselves. We can work together with them, and they with us, to achieve good end results for everyone's benefit." Kriana was just about to say that there is a big difference between the two species when Emala gave her a nudge to keep quiet. Sam was sure Fosanta was starting to get a touch watery eyed and Adastra's grin had subsided appreciably.

"We as a species tend not to work in larger groups Sam, but I can see it can sometimes have a large benefit." Shiala remembered back to her time as a commando, not too many years ago, when it was usual to work in pairs or threes at the most.

"This was for my benefit?" Kate added looking at Sam.

"I believe it was for everyone's benefit Kate. It did have the unintended side effect of showing you what I said earlier though, that everyone on-board will try to help anyone else out if they need it." Fosanta seemed to be trying her best to keep Kate on-board.

"This is making the decision harder and not easier." Kate held her head as if it would make decision making easier. She after a few moments sighed. "I have to go for the opportunity of a blue moon. Kriana I am staying." Fosanta gives Kate a hug, as she still seemed unconvinced that it was the correct decision.

"I am glad you have decided to stay Kate." Shiala voiced her satisfaction of keeping Kate and Sam together.

"Kate, I know it was a tough decision, even after basically saying goodbye to everyone yesterday. I am however glad you are staying." Sam added with a smile as it was quite difficult to get to Kate at the moment.

"I think some drinks after the day we have had would be a good idea." Adastra looked towards Sam knowing that he had brought several bottles of sloe gin with him.

The lift doors opened to allow most of the lifts occupants head to the seating area. Sam went to his room and Adastra went to the kitchen area to get some glasses. It wasn't long before Sam reappeared with two bottles of red liquid.

"Kriana, Emala, Fosanta. We had this back on Earth, they call it sloe gin. If you do not like it then give it to Sam." Adastra had remembered how Sam had worded his delivery when she and Shiala tried it back at his house. This got a bit of a laugh from Sam as he filled up several glasses which got handed out.

"This tastes like fruity paint stripper." Kriana noted after taking a sip and not quite expecting its strength.

"Did I pick up the wrong bottle?" Sam picked up the bottle to look at the handwritten label on it. "No, it is not the paint stripper." With that Sam breaks into a smile at the round of laughs.

"It is good Sam." Emala was a touch cautious when her mother called it paint stripper but it was the agreeable taste that took the edge off.

Fosanta had already cleaned out her glass, "I have never tasted something quite like it. Any more going?" Fosanta will probably suffer tomorrow but it was a celebration if it was a little subdued given the small number of people and the lack of music.

"Sure." Sam said before draining the last of bottle number one into her glass.

It wasn't too long before they all turn in, after finishing a second bottle and a bottle of some Asari fizzy wine. The taste reminded Kate of passion fruit, it wasn't quite the same but that was the closest she could think of, and Sam could not describe it any better either.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**Awww it is nice they can all work together even after the mornings antics. One more chapter then we will be back in more familiar Mass Effect territory.**

**13/10/2013 - Updated. This is the last of the currently updated chapters. More will be forthcoming given time.**


	14. Chapter 14 : Approach

**Approach**

* * *

><p><strong>28th December 2016<strong>

Fosanta, Shiala and Adastra had got up early to prepare the ship to travel to the nearest known mass relay, the preliminary estimates put the travel time at about seventeen days with a stop for additional water at a previously mapped system. All they were waiting for was Kriana to wake up and press the go button.

"Has anyone else thought what is going to happen when we get back?" Fosanta voicing her thoughts as she finished the basic scan of the solar system they were in for future reference.

"I will return to Matriarch Benezia." Shiala stating as if there was no way she could get away.

"I personally have not thought about it, these last nearly five years have been good to me." Adastra thinking how this mission has been so much better than having to get odd jobs. "What about you Fosanta?"

"I was thinking of getting a job that involved a little less travelling."

"Sounds like a good idea" A voice from behind the three of them said. They all turned around to see Kriana who still seemed half asleep and Emala who took co-pilots seat.

"Are we ready to leave?"

"Yes. Emala do you want to take us to FTL?" Emala nods enthusiastically waiting for Karina to give the go.

"Take us to the mass relay and the Citadel." Kriana turned away and headed towards the lift as Emala pressed a few buttons on the console. After a couple of minutes the ship gave a small jolt as the light barrier was broken and the ship started its ten day journey to the water source then onto the mass relay. With that Fosanta departed.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"huh." Kate being awoken by a small jolt but not knowing what is going on. She looks out of the window to see a blue glow. "That is weird", she mused to herself before deciding that a shower and breakfast might be an idea. Kate had been using the communal showers that were on the opposite side of the ship to the toilets. It wasn't like they was ever a queue as only herself, Fosanta and Shiala ever used them and there were three showers.

On her way to the showers she saw Sam having his breakfast looking fairly red. "Morning Sam, Why are you red?"

"Oh, Hello Kate. It is probably the hot shower I had this morning, are you going to have one?" with that Kate laughed a little.

"Yes, I will be careful." With that Sam restarted shovelling his breakfast into his mouth as Kate walked into the shower area. Fosanta had just stepped into a shower when she heard the door close and stuck her head out to see Kate with a towel over her shoulder.

"Morning Kate." Kate wasn't expecting to see anyone in the shower room so was a little surprised when a smiling blue face had appeared from between two curtains.

"Fosanta. Morning. I was not expecting anyone to be in here to be fair."

"We started our journey to the Citadel this morning, so given there is nothing to do I decided to try out these hot showers." With that Fosanta pulled her head back into the shower and turned on the water. Kate putting her towel on the small bench opposite the showers and starting to get undressed, keeping an eye that Fosanta was not having a quick look.

"Did we set off about thirty minutes ago?"

"Yes why?" Fosanta's shower spouting plumes of steam out of the top of the curtained area as Kate goes to the shower in the corner.

"I think it woke me up." Kate pulled the curtain around her shower and turned it on to be greeted with a burst of hot water.

"It is possible, the ship jumps a little when we pass the speed of light." Kate hears Fosanta's shower turn off.

"Wait, so we are travelling faster than light now?"

"Yes, Adastra told me we will be doing nearly a thousand two hundred times light speed shortly." She said as she was towelling herself down.

"This ship must be really fast then?" Kate still washing her gingery red hair thinking that would be the distance from Earth to the sun in less than half a second.

"To light speed it was before we lost the four smaller thrusters Kate. Above light speed not so much due to the budget restrictions on the design."

"So you mean this ship was built cheaply?"

"Not exactly Kate. It was designed for being able to quickly manoeuvre between planets rather than quick traversal between systems. While we would have preferred a faster top speed it is a well built ship as evidenced by it still working to a point."

"To a point?"

"The loss of the smaller thrusters mean that there is only the mass effect cores left for steering which are difficult to control. As you know some of the sensors and the FTL communications array do not work and there are probably plenty of trivial things that do not work like certain lights for example."

"It does not sound too good." Kate thinking it sounds like a scrapheap and it is going faster than the speed of light.

"We will be fine Kate. Do not worry and I will speak to you shortly." With that she left Kate in the shower.

Some fifteen minutes after Fosanta, Kate emerged from the showers looking no redder than when she went in. "I was careful." Kate having a joke at Sam who was still looking red with a drink in his hand. "It was much better than the frostbite I nearly got last time."

"The nearest I got to a cold shower was putting my foot in, I got cold feet after that." Sam smirking knowing that was the first decent pun he's had the opportunity to use.

"That was awful Sam." Kate just shook her head with a smile and headed to her room.

* * *

><p><strong>6th January 2017<strong>

The Enlighten drops out of FTL near a dwarf planet which has a thick ice crust. "Everyone we have arrived at our planet for more water." Fosanta announces over the intercom as Adastra pilots the ship carefully closer to the dwarf planet before hovering it a hundred or so metres above the icy surface.

"You do know the ice extraction equipment has not been tested after the core discharge Adastra?"

"I know Kriana but we need this water one way or another. Fortunately it is just a heating element so even if parts of it are shorted it might still work as long as the fusion core can handle the extra load. Fosanta the gravity is a little uneven on this planet so just be careful while keeping the Enlighten level." Fosanta nods as Adastra leaves to head down to deck three.

"I really hope this works." Kriana musing more to herself than asking anyone.

"Well we should get a bit of a core discharge as well which is handy as we would have been cutting it close to get to the Citadel without one." Fosanta trying to keep the ship level with the crusty surface.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra walks out of the lift to see Sam and Kate attaching the heating plate to the shuttle. "Are we ready to go as it is not easy keeping this ship stable having to juggle three mass effect cores."

"Yes Adastra, we were just checking everything." Kate wanting to make sure this works.

"Is there any reason you are wearing that Adastra?" Sam noting her wearing a suit of some kind which has two thin tanks on its back. A helmet under her right arm.

"The shuttle has a breach in its vacuum seal hence why we had to dock with the Enlighten in Earth's atmosphere. Do you remember Sam?"

"My apologies I forgot about that. Anyway you should be good to go Adastra." Adastra nods before putting her helmet on and climbing into the shuttle. Kate and Sam exit the deck and head up to the cockpit in the slow lift.

"If someone had told me I would be on a space ship light years from Earth next year, before Christmas, I would have asked them which nut house they had escaped from." Sam keeping to English to get his point across better.

"I am still wondering quite whether this is all a dream. It is so surreal to be floating above a small planet to extract water from it, in the middle of nowhere, on a half broken ship with five aliens. If we even went back to Earth now no one would believe us."

"I know you are struggling to accept this quite as well as I am." The lift doors open and the two of them walk out. "Do you feel like you are going insane though?" Kate nods.

"It is not that bad is it?" Fosanta overhearing their discussion.

"Adastra you are clear to disembark when you are ready." Shiala keeping their current activities going.

"It is still very weird to be floating above an ice planet Fosanta. Let alone with five individuals from a previously unknown species." Sam finishing off the rest of the discussion in Asari.

Adastra gently drags the heating plate and its two tubes out of the docking bay door with the shuttle. As the plate drops off the docking bay floor and heading towards the surface the wires connecting it to the shuttle bring it underneath the shuttle so it is hanging. Adastra lowers the shuttle so the plate is resting on the icy surface as the shuttle hovers above, the wires having slack in them. "Anyone up there, The plate is ready to go."

"Lets hope this works." Fosanta disconnects the electrolysis unit from the fusion core and redirects the power to the plate.

"I can see steam which is a good sign. I just hope this does not take too long as the temperature is really starting to drop in here."

"Tell us when we can start pumping Adastra." Fosanta sitting back and waiting for the go.

"How long will this take?"

"It has taken us four hours to fill the tank before Kate but the ice on that planet was at twenty five Kelvin and we had no reserve water. This ice is at one hundred and" Fosanta checks on the console "nineteen Kelvin and we have some water in the tank but not enough to get us to the Citadel." Sam nods.

"What is that minus a hundred or something?"

"Minus a hundred and fifty four Celsius Kate." Kate nods forgoing a comment about it being cold as it would sound silly. "So how long are we expecting to be here?" Sam voicing to no one in particular.

"It depends on how well Adastra and the Shuttle hold but if we can it will take an hour and fifty minutes to fully fill the tank."

"I can hear you all you know." Adastra announcing over the communications system. "Shiala does have a valid point though as the shuttles electronics are not shielded from the cold inside. I am ok for four hours as I have heating in here but the shuttle may start to give up fairly soon."

"We would have enough to get to the Citadel after thirty minutes Adastra."

"You can start pumping now Fosanta." Fosanta leans over to the console and turns on the pumps.

"Done Adastra. Why did you want to do this anyway as you can control the Enlighten better than I can."

"It is the last time we will ever need to refill this ship from a block of ice. Also if this shuttle fails it might do rather rapidly as it has already endured a solar flare which caused a bit of damage."

"I am guessing the other shuttles were used to evacuate everyone else."

"Yes Sam, to be honest twenty four could have evacuated in three shuttles as each can hold eight. As you may appreciate, when people are panicking it does not always work like that." Shiala making a point while everyone waits.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Err everyone. I would like to recommend shuttles be insulated on the inside for jobs like this next time."

"Why Adastra. Have you got problems?"

"I now only have the console for lighting and the touch sensing circuitry is getting very unresponsive." Fosanta looks at the time noting the ship has been pumping for twenty six minutes.

"We might have a bit of a dry tank when we get to the Citadel but we should have enough Adastra. Come back while you still have some control."

"I will take a dry tank over crashing this shuttle. We can just travel a little slower if we need to save." Adastra finding the controls seem to only react after having her finger on the button for half a second. "You would have liked flying this Fosanta. It is awful." Adastra joking as she pulls the heating plate and the tubing so the plate is level with the docking bay door. Swinging the plate towards the ship she lowers the shuttle to drop the plate onto the docking bay floor. She proceeds to then carefully put the shuttle inside. "Oh great, the plate has landed right where the shuttle sits."

"If you have to run into the plate then do so Adastra." Kriana putting her captains angle on it knowing full well it would not be doing any more work once they get back to the Citadel.

"That makes life easier. I do not need any help down here to pull the tubing in then." Adastra pushes the plate with the shuttle from shuttle bay one to the back of the ship at shuttle bay five near the rear of the ship. The tubing just curling into the Enlighten. Adastra parks the shuttle on the tubing and gets out. Jumping down from the shuttle she walks over to nudge one of the pipes a bit further in. "Fosanta. The docking bay door is clear."

"Closing now." Fosanta typing a few commands into the console. The docking bay shuts causing a shake of the ship. Fosanta re-pressurises the shuttle bay so the lift will stop at that deck to allow Adastra back up. "You are good to leave Adastra."

"Is it always this much fun ice mining?"

"No Sam. We usually had enough people so we could pull the plate in using the tubes but that needs four people per tube and we do not even have eight people on-board."

"When you have the co-ordinates make our way to the Citadel Fosanta." Fosanta turns in her seat to nod to Kriana who seems satisfied enough to leave.

"Fosanta you have to co-ordinates to the mass relay." She nods to Shiala before looking at the screen to double check everything before setting off.

"Mass relay?" Sam about to ask the same question but Kate getting there first.

"They are transportation routes Kate. They allow things to travel immense distances in very short periods of time. Without them getting anywhere would take months."

"Are we on our way now Fosanta?" Adastra's voice appears from behind them. Sam and Kate turn around to see Adastra walking towards them, helmet under her arm again.

"Yes Adastra. We have nothing to do for another seven days now."

"I have had enough for today but we could do with tidying the shuttle bay as it is a mess."

"Why would we need to tidy it?" Sam thinking it is unlikely to be used again so why bother.

"It seems you do not know I get bored very quickly if I do not have something to do Sam."

"Adastra has made some interesting entertainment over the years. Putting a microphone in the showers and then broadcasting it over the intercom to everyone was one of the worst. I am sure it was deliberately targeted at us because she knew we got up earlier than most of the other crew members." Adastra showing a face of fake innocence when everyone looked towards her.

"What we say to each other after sleeping together for three years did not need to be broadcast to all twenty seven other crew members." Kate raises her eyebrows at Shiala's comment.

"Have either of you thought that Adastra might just be interested in trying to understand how relationships work?" All three Asari look confused at Sam. Kate smiles a little. "I am guessing because of the markings people avoid you Adastra?"

"That, the reputation and the fact I do not trust people to be nice."

"You trust no one Adastra? I find that hard to believe as everyone here seems pleasant and kind."

"Ok the markings and the reputation then Sam."

"Still my point stands, more so given you are over three hundred and fifty. Oh and Kate, no this is in no way a hint so there is no need for the smile. I just think people are missing the obvious about Adastra. Although Adastra, giving people a little trust would be good. I mean even showing a small amount of your markings to get someone's opinion would not be too much to ask surely?"

"Maybe not Sam but I will need to think about that." Sam nods and leaves to head back to his room.

"Well that was unexpectedly insightful. I am however not sure whether it was necessarily insightful about the incidents."

"Shiala, just because Sam seems to understand does not mean we are going to be together happily ever after. Think yourself and Fosanta as an idea." Adastra leaves the three of them to get out of the suit which was becoming rather warm.

"Do you think Shiala?"

"As I have mentioned to you before Fosanta I think Adastra is liking the novelty of someone new. I think it will eventually settle into a strong friendship but nothing more."

"It does make sense but they are getting on awfully well together."

"I wonder where Emala is?" Kate suddenly realising there is an individual less today.

"She felt a little unwell this morning Kate. I am sure she will be ok tomorrow."

"I might see if she wants someone to talk to." Fosanta and Shiala nod to Kate before she leaves the deck to see if Emala was around. When she got to her door she finds it locked and knowing she is a little unwell she decides not to disturb her and goes to her own room.

* * *

><p><strong>13th January 2017<strong>

"Everyone on-board we are now approaching the mass relay." Fosanta sat back from the console and waited for Adastra and Shiala to appear from the lift. She wasn't quite expecting everyone to turn up but it was only this small jump to a main relay and then immediately to the citadel.

"Oh wow", was all Sam and Kate could get out nearly in synchronisation after looking out of the cockpit windows.

"Fosanta could you transmit our mass and destination to the relay." Fosanta puts a few commands into her console and with that the relay comes to life.

"Kate, Sam this relay will make us cover ten times the distance we have just travelled from your planet in a few hundredth of a second". Shiala now sitting back as there's no longer any co-ordinates to calculate.

"It is an odd feeling..." Kriana added from next to them "You get used to it though".

"On approach now, Emala you have the timing on your screen." Adastra managing to steer the Enlighten on a path that will take them past the core and along the length of the relay.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1." The ship seems to lurch a tiny amount forward and they could no longer see the relay out of the window. Frantic activity suddenly started on the cockpit consoles as there was now a new destination to be plotted.

"It almost feels like being in free-fall for half a second." Kate looked at Sam who adjusted his footing. "It is a strange feeling though."

"We will be at the main relay in five hours if my estimate is right." Emala trying her best but using the ships nominal ratings rather than maximums.

"No, We have enough water and reserve mass effect core charge to push it. We can discharge and refuel at the Citadel if we need to. Four and a half hours is my estimate." Adastra clearly sensing home now and doing everything she can to get there faster. "Oh and Kate it is strange and you may not get used to it. Tahomi our co-pilot hated it."

"Why would you become a pilot then?" Sam confused.

"I asked the same question Sam. She liked travelling but not using mass relays." Sam nods to Fosanta thinking that about makes sense on an exploration mission where they would not be using mass relays much.

"Fosanta can we get a message to the Citadel now or are the data communications still out?" Kriana wondering if she can arrange everything with the Citadel before they arrive.

"We have two minutes of low bit rate voice communication before we go to FTL that you could use Kriana."

"Set up communication to Citadel control." Fosanta gives Kriana a nod when its set-up.

"Citadel Control this is the ASL Enlighten. We are on approach to the Citadel from the Exodus Cluster. ETA five hours."

"ASL Enlighten you have been marked as disappeared, presumed destroyed. Please can you confirm the number of crew that evacuated."

"There were twenty four crew that evacuated on-board four shuttles. Twenty two Asari and two Salarians." Kriana wondering quite why they needed that confirmation she didn't know but she complied.

"ASL Enlighten, you are given priority access to dock seventy one. Upon arrival further checks and a security detail will await you. It will be good to see you back."

"Thank you Citadel control, ASL Enlighten out." There was only forty seconds of comm time left before the ship jolted into FTL travel heading towards the final mass relay before the Citadel.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**The method for water collection seems overly complicated but it may have been down to them retrofitting it to an old hull design to save costs. We do at least know the Enlighten needs a bigger tank and does not run on magic fairy dust.  
><strong>

**Next update is the first chapter on the Citadel which will be posted on the 11th or the 12th.**

**I keep seeing people favouriting the story which is greatly appreciated, as are reviews if you have the time.**


	15. Chapter 15 : Citadel Arrival

**Chapter 15 - Citadel Arrival**

* * *

><p>The main mass relay at the Exodus Cluster was within sight after the Enlighten had dropped out of FTL. Sam and Kate who had stayed on the bridge since they entered FTL from the smaller relay were no longer quite so shocked at the sight.<p>

"That is a lot larger than the previous relay." Sam noting and waiting for a response.

"That is because this is a primary relay." Emala providing the information as Fosanta, Shiala and Adastra worked to set-up the jump.

"We are clear to jump when you are Adastra." Fosanta after doing the comm work sitting back and watching the view.

"Emala can you count us down." Adastra working with the limited manoeuvrability of having no control thrusters, trying to hit Shiala's co-ordinates.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1." The view suddenly changes from a mass relay to one of a massive purple hued cloud.

"What is with all the purple?" Kate wondering quite what it was.

"It is the Serpent nebula Kate. The Citadel is inside it which makes it difficult to find unless you know where it is." Kate nods to Fosanta.

"So it is like a natural defence then?" Sam wondering why otherwise you would hide something in such a thick mass of dust and gas.

"Yes Sam." Adastra having enough spare brain power to answer that simple question.

"ETA to the Citadel twenty minutes Kriana." Emala being right with her estimate as there are speed limits in the Citadel system given the large number of ships.

"Fosanta could you inform the Asari councillor that we would like her to meet us after we have landed."

"Kriana, that is nearly impossible to do at short notice."

"Tell her we met a new species, that should help." With that Fosanta gets to work trying to make the arrangements.

"I would like all of you to stay on deck two after we have docked until everything gets sorted." With that there's a round of nods from everyone.

The Enlighten breaks through the dust cloud to allow a clear view of the massive space station.

"Wow." Kate struggling to find any other words, her jaw somewhere near the floor.

"Fuck me, its massive." Sam's comment amusing everyone except Emala and Kriana neither of whom spoke a word of English, probably for the best Adastra thought. "I did not expect something like this to just be sitting in space."

"I guess that has been said by every new species to see the Citadel Sam." Fosanta sitting back and waiting for them to dock.

"Citadel Control this is ASL Enlighten, We have a reduced manoeuvrability and cannot make dock seventy one. Please advise." Adastra with a stressed look on her face.

"ASL Enlighten the only available berth on your vector is for Council approved ships only." Adastra mutes the connection for a second.

"Kriana, can I just take the dock. We do have the Councillor coming on-board." Kriana nods.

"Citadel control mark that berth as taken, Enlighten out." Adastra expressing her annoyance.

"You.." the connection drops.

"Shiala can you find that empty dock." Shiala moves through a few screens on the console in front of her to quickly find the empty dock.

"Adastra, it is dock twenty seven." Adastra nods and gets to work trying to make it a smooth dock.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Four minutes later and the docking clamps engage the ship. Emala powers down the drive systems as Adastra locks the drive controls. With that everyone excluding Kriana exits to go down a deck as Kriana goes to the airlock to prepare to disembark.

Kriana finds three armed Turians in front of her as the airlock door opens.

"You have violated Citadel Control regulations. Your ship will not be released until this has been resolved through C-Sec."

"Are you three blind? The Enlighten was probably the only blue ship in space. I know most of the paintwork has blistered but it should still be obvious."

"You are still going to have to come with us."

"She has ample right to be docked here." The Asari councillor stating as she walks along the walkway towards the ship and the three C-Sec personnel.

"We were unaware. Sorry for any misunderstanding." With that the three Turians leave mumbling something.

"It is good to see you survived Kriana. The ship looks badly damaged." The councillor expressing her concern as she sees the blistering and some obvious ablative marking on the hull plating.

"I am glad that we made it back too. We had a mass effect core discharge along with being attacked."

"I have only heard rumours about ships surviving a core discharge before. How did you manage it?" The councillor surprised and concerned.

"You can talk to Adastra later about that."

"I think it would be better we discuss things somewhere more private." Kriana nods and both of them enter the ship before taking a seat towards the back of the top deck.

"So what was this new species like?" The councillor clearly on limited time as they had barely sat down before the one obvious question was asked.

"Well, after we escaped the Batarians and survived the mass effect core discharge to jump to FTL, we ended up in our last unmapped system with damaged drive systems, no water and no sensors." The councillor wondered how they had even managed to get back to Citadel space. "We saw a perfect garden world out of the window and thought we could get some water from there as it was the nearest obvious place to get any with no sensors. As the shuttle got nearer the planet the control systems were effected by a large solar flare and Adastra barely managed to make a safe landing, Shiala being injured in the landing."

"Are they both ok?" The councillor not expressing a massive amount of empathy but its the thought that counts.

"Yes, they met one of the native species who looked after them well." Kriana thought it would be best to leave everything deliberately vague which really wasn't what the councillor wanted.

"I would like specifics Kriana."

"Could you just give me one minute to finish my explanation." Kriana not wanting to be rushed just because the councillor thought she had better places to be. The councillor nodded to continue.

"Thank you. While they were waiting on the ground for communications to get through the solar flare a second of the species turned up at the firsts home."

"I am not liking the sound of this Kriana."

"Well Shiala and Adastra managed to get extra supplies for the ship from them. With those and water which we got by landing in the planets sea we managed to make it back here. So really without them we would have been stuck."

"That certainly sounds an impressive story Kriana. I however need to know about this new species."

"Sure I have all the information on the next deck down, would you like to follow me." Kriana and the councillor entered the lift to go down a floor.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I wonder what is going on up there with the Councillor." Emala clearly curious.

"Explanation of what happened and all the information she needs." Fosanta added seemingly knowing how this all worked.

"Sounds like you have been in this situation before?" Kate clearly noticing the its normal, don't worry tone.

"Yes only once though. It was not anywhere near as complicated as this and it took two days to sort out."

"Great, no matter where you go it is always red tape that slows everything down." Sam added with a sigh.

"We did cut through a large amount with Citadel Control earlier." Adastra noting with a sense of pride in beating the system.

"The red tape is usually there for a good reason Sam." Shiala suddenly turning into a killjoy.

"I know." There was a pause in conversations for a few minutes as no one had anything really to say until they all heard the lift.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Councillor, Just to let you know you are safe." Kriana added with a perfect poker face and no give-away in her tone. The councillor made no comment but her face expressed the confusion. A couple of seconds later the door opens and Kriana walks out to see everyone sat on the seats looking positively bored.

The councillor took three paces out of the lift and suddenly went grey as she looked at the crew. "Everyone I would like you to meet the Asari Councillor." Kriana now had a large smile on her face as the Councillor was looking unprofessional in her shock.

"Errm, I welcome you both to the Citadel... Could I have a word Kriana." Kriana nods and gestures the councillor to follow her into one of the spare bedrooms.

"I am displeased with what you have done Kriana. You of all people should know we only observe in first contact situations. Only if it is critical do we allow a direct contact. While for Adastra and Shiala on the shuttle I agree it was, you however should not have brought them back to Citadel space."

"Did I forget to say without their help we would not be back here."

"Kriana did you even consider what this would mean? It is going to need law changes, new systems putting in place, not to mention they are going to need constant protection."

"There is only the two of them and physically they are most similar to us. Surely they could use laws designed for Asari even if there are a few differences."

"Have you connected with either of them?"

"No"

"I need to know this information and think about this Kriana. You bringing them back has caused a large political problem." Kriana gets up and walks out of the room, the Councillor following.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Well that was a friendly welcome. Is she the top of the political tree so to speak?"

"One of three individuals on the Citadel Council Sam. Their decisions effect billions of people."

"Good to know Emala." Sam keeping the comment brief as the two of them come back from the room to the seating area.

"My apologies but I needed to clear up everything as what has happened here is unacceptable. Could I ask who you both are?"

"Kate." Wondering quite why she seemed slightly abrasive.

"Sam, It is nice to meet you." Sam trying to stay informal to keep it friendly but evidently it was lost on the Councillor who did not even acknowledge his greeting.

"They are humans Councillor. They call their planet Earth and Sam and Kate speak English but that is not the only language on their planet." Fosanta trying to expedite the process by providing the background.

"They are roughly two thousand five hundred years behind us technologically but their rate of advancement makes me think they could have FTL ships and find us within three hundred years." Adastra taking the technology front.

Kriana sits down near the edge of the group, "Would you like to join us councillor?"

"No Kriana. This is taking longer than I expected."

"Councillor. You look more angry than Kriana did when she found out Sam had seen Adastra. It is not particularly professional nor friendly." Shiala trying to stay courteous and formal whilst telling her to get a grip.

"He what?" Shiala thought that woke her up a little too well.

"Councillor, It was an accident. Sam was very understanding and willingly helped me." With that Adastra put an arm around Sam who did the same then looked at Adastra and smiled.

"Adastra, you know I am going to have to get someone to verify that." Adastra nodded reluctantly, secretly hoping she chose Sha'ira. "Shiala I heard you had connected to at least one of them?"

"Both of them councillor."

"Could you give me all the information you know about their species."

"Of course, follow me." With that Shiala and the councillor went into one of the several empty rooms down the hallway again.

"Well that was not quite the reaction I expected." Kriana disappointed in the councillor looking like a fool and being rather unfriendly.

"At least I managed a hello when we first met." Kate added looking at Adastra.

"Indeed Kate, the councillor should have at least attempted to be more friendly."

It was not long before Shiala and the councillor reappeared. "As I said I am going to have to think about this information Kriana. Someone will be along shortly to verify Adastra's claim and I shall resume this meeting tomorrow." With that the councillor left.

"Well that is a cold shoulder if ever I have had one." Kate feeling non too happy about the welcome.

"I felt warmer on Earth when I first met Adastra and it was about minus six and a wind-chill as well."

"Do not remind me Sam, it was not warm having to stand there. Anyway do you mind if we have a talk?" Adastra wanting to give Sam a heads up as to what's going to happen without everyone else finding out.

"Not at all." With that the pair walk down the corridor and go into Adastra's room.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Sam, The councillor is going to get someone to verify my claims. Usually in these cases they would verify with the person making the claim."

"Why do I get a feeling you are an exception." Sam adding with a smile.

"There was an incident last time that happened." Adastra looked towards the floor

"So what you are trying to say is they will have to use me to verify the claim." Sam a little more anxious now.

"Yes. Although you can verify my claim, if they find the scrambled memories then things are not going to end well as its possible to forcefully scramble memories leaving no obvious markers unlike with removing them."

"Great. Do I need to do anything special."

"I am hoping that it is Sha'ira who is the one selected to come. In that case willingly tell her everything she wishes to know. If it is not then keep them away from those memories at all costs. If they find them then immediately tell me after." Adastra sighs, not wanting to dwell on what would happen if it was the latter case.

"You know I will do everything I can."

"I know Sam. We should get back to the others before they think I have been cleaning up." Sam nods and both of them leave and head back to the seating.

"You two did not meld did you." Kriana clearly keeping an eye on the two of them.

"No." Sam hopped around on one foot which given his inexperience would be impossible if that had been the case.

"Ok then." Kriana satisfied Sam sat back down next to Adastra.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Forty minutes of chatter about what the councillor may do was interrupted by Kriana getting a message on her Omni-tool.

"I will be right back, our guest has arrived." with that Kriana took the lift up to the top deck to greet the guest at the airlock. It wasn't long before everyone heard the lift doors reopen and saw Kriana with the consort.

Sha'ira looked at the crew and smiled, noting that the new species seemed to look similar to themselves but also getting along well with the Asari. She walked up to the seating and looked at Sam. "You must be Sam. I warmly welcome you to the Citadel. My name is Sha'ira and I am sure you already know why am here."

"I am glad to meet you Sha'ira and thank you for the welcome." Sam wondering why Sha'ira never blinked an eye when she saw Kate and himself and even gave a warm greeting.

"Do you have somewhere where we can be alone for a few minutes?"

"Follow me." Sam was thinking as they walked to his room that Sha'ira's disarming smile and warm friendly demeanour could probably smooth over any problem.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The door closed behind them as they walked in and Sha'ira locked it. "Sam take a seat." He did so on the edge of the bed as the chair wasn't exactly the most comfortable. Sha'ira sat next Sam on the bed giving him just enough personal space to keep the awkwardness barely manageable. "Kriana told me that you and Adastra had a chat before I arrived. She also assured me that there was no sign at all of a meld having taken place. What was it that you talked about?"

"What was going to happen in this meeting. She told me to tell you everything you wished to know."

"Ok Sam. Did she forcefully remove any of your memories?"

"No." Sha'ira was happy at that answer but seemed to have something else on her mind since she had been given free reign of information.

"Did you remove any memories for her?"

"Remove, no." Sha'ira seemed intrigued by the modifier in the answer. Yet the councillor had said that Shiala had seen signs of memory loss so it must be somewhere.

"Did Adastra provide scrambled memories?"

"Yes." Sam could see the light bulb turn on in Sha'ira's head at that answer.

"I appreciate you being open and honest. I have some advice for you Sam." Sam nods for her to go on. "You must continue to be careful not to be blinded or you will not appreciate the dim flicker."

"What? That makes no sense." Sam struggling to decipher the meaning.

"It will given time Sam. If you ever need anyone to talk to, or anything else, then my door is always open for you Sam."

"Thank you Sha'ira." With that Sha'ira gets up and nods to Sam before leaving.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I wonder what Sha'ira will find." Emala mused.

"I am sure we will find out shortly." Shiala added, knowing that Sha'ira didn't like to keep people in the dark unless it was private.

Adastra was sitting there hoping Sha'ira put all the pieces together but was glad it was she who was picked by the councillor. It was only another couple of minutes before Sha'ira reappeared from down the hallway.

"Adastra could we have a quick talk?" Sha'ira's voice warming and smooth but giving nothing away. Adastra nods, knowing this will go well or badly. They go into the first spare room on the left, the door closing behind them.

"Adastra, I appreciate you understanding my previous advice. A warning, do not be fooled. Help and friendliness does not fill the hollow of life. You need someone who lives in the dark."

"So Sam will help but he is nothing more than a friend?" Adastra felt a little let down by that thought but Sam was at least still a good friend who would help.

"Please remember Adastra I cannot provide any hints as to what the words mean. You will find that out yourself. If you ever need to talk then you know where to find me."

"Thank you Sha'ira." With that the two of them hug and then leave the room Sha'ira turning right to the seating and Adastra heading left to Sam's room.

"Everyone, my findings are that Sam's memories were not forcefully removed." Sha'ira skilfully leaving that statement slightly ambiguous. With that she looks at Kate and pauses for a few seconds before smiling. "Kate I apologise for not welcoming you to the Citadel earlier." Kate nods with a smile. "You have already found what you seek you just do not know it yet, you will in time." Kate just sat there looking puzzled at the cryptic message. "I really need to get back to my clients. If any of you need me you know where I am. I wish you all a pleasant stay." With that Sha'ira leaves.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra cautiously walked into Sam's room finding him on his bed looking out of the window opposite.

"Sha'ira said that she confirmed my claim."

"It was very uneventful, but rather strange." Sam sounding like he was talking to himself. "It was like she knew everything even though I only said a couple of dozen words." Sam turned away from the window to face Adastra when she joined him on the bed.

Both of them hear a knock on the door.

"Come in." Sam thinking it was probably one of the crew to talk about the councillor. Kate walked through the door and looked towards the bed. "I will come back later, it is not that important." With that Kate turned around and started walking towards the door.

"No, Kate it is fine I was rambling about Sha'ira's visit. Have a seat if you have something to say." Kate turned back around and took the chair.

"Sha'ira said to me I had found what I am looking for but just do not know it yet. I have no idea what she meant by that." Kate looked towards the two on the bed for some kind of answer.

"Kate the last words I received from her have taken well over a hundred years to make sense. I hope you take any advice she gives seriously as it is usually helpful in some way. Same goes for you Sam."

"I will keep an eye open." Kate seemingly unsure as to how she is supposed to look for something when she has no idea what to look for.

"My advice was much more odd than yours Kate."

"Could you tell me what it is?" Kate curious as to what advice Sam got.

"I must continue to be careful not to be blinded or I might not appreciate the dim flicker." Sam screwing his face up still trying to work out exactly what that means.

"That is deep, does that mean you and Adastra?"

"If my advice is to help in that then no, Sam is only a good friend. I am supposedly looking for someone who lives in the dark, whatever that means." Adastra laughing a little.

"I think Sha'ira has successfully managed to confuse us all." Sam and Adastra nod in agreement to that.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**Well it seems it has been an interesting welcome for our two aliens into the galactic community, especially from the councillor. I can see an awful lot of bureaucratic crap in the future that is going to need solving. Sha'ira's advice has been a little strange but at least she seemed to be warm and welcoming.**

**Next chapter will be posted on the 18th February as it needs some subtle rewriting. Until then I hope you enjoy this chapter.**


	16. Chapter 16 : Red Tape

**Chapter 16 - Red Tape**

* * *

><p><strong>14th January 2017<strong>

Kriana was waiting at the airlock for the councillor. She had sent a message saying she would be making an appearance at nine thirty Citadel time, which was fifteen minutes ago.

"I bet the councillor has got cold feet over seeing us again." Sam added breaking the silence.

"I doubt that Sam, It is probably just a council meeting that has overrun." Shiala knowing how these things work after being with Benezia during various meetings.

"I get the feeling the meeting could be about us." Kate added. "Was it really worth us causing all this hassle as it seems rather pointless."

"Someone has to be first Kate but it should all work out fine in the end." Fosanta trying to stay supportive

"I hope so." Kate muttered as Fosanta put her arm around her.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

At the airlock the councillor had arrived with a data pad in hand. "Good morning councillor." Kriana said possibly a little too cheerfully for the councillor after a long meeting.

"I have spent the last two hours in a meeting to try and resolve this issue, so while it may be morning I would not say it is good." Kriana was a little shocked and just nodded. "I would like to discuss some things with yourself and the two humans. Everyone else will be free to leave after I have had a word."

Kriana nodded and the two got in the lift to go down a deck.

Everyone turned to face the lift as the doors opened and the councillor and Kriana walked out.

"I am going to spend some time today to get through all the political issues that have arisen. Everyone excluding Adastra, Kate and Sam may leave the ship on one condition. No one is to mention anything that happened after the attack to anyone. Everyone understand this?" A Mexican wave of nods came from each person. Emala stood and looked at the councillor.

"Would it be ok if I leave now to see a friend?" The councillor gave a nod and Emala nearly skipped to the lift.

"I only need to talk to Kate and Sam at the moment but the rest of you are free to stay." No one moves from the seats that they are currently sitting at.

"The council have reluctantly agreed this morning to allow you both residency on an Asari world of your choosing. The Asari Republics would ideally like it to be Illium or Thessia though." Smiles all round from everyone at that news. "I also most say that you will be classed as an Asari sub-species until first contact happens. This means that you will be treated in exactly the same way as an Asari even though you may be unable to meld or have biotic ability." Kate and Sam nod thinking it sounds like a classic bodge of the system. "The cluster in which your home planet resides is to remain unmapped and a security patrol will protect it from a distance. This is so no one can influence your species development or attack your home world." The two of them nod again knowing that if everyone encroached on earth it would end up like a lump of charcoal very quickly. "Monday morning the council are going to make a special announcement about the Enlighten, its journey and what it has found. I would like all seven of you to attend."

"What about everyone who used the escape shuttles?" Kriana a little confused as to why it should just be them.

"Twenty of the twenty four who left the ship were found at the mining colony alive and the remaining four are as we speak being collected from Omega. Aria was not all that proactive in helping us but they are all safe on Thessia. They will be informed of your return soon."

"Are we not going to get harassed by journalists wherever we go?" Sam wondering if it would be possible to live any kind of normal life.

"It is highly likely, that was why the Asari Republics decided to provide you and Kate permanent protection wherever you may go if you wish to have it."

"Is there anything else we should know about?" Kate thinking this couldn't be the end of the red tape.

"You will both be required to undertake some medical tests for your own safety and Kate you will also be required to undertake a psychological evaluation. These will be scheduled for next week sometime."

"Why only me?" Kate feeling a little singled out.

"Sam is exempt as Sha'ira is unsure if Adastra had planted any traps as she did last time." Adastra just looked at the floor. "Adastra. Since you were last in Citadel space it has been made illegal to meld with someone on the dangerous list. Sam you are on a watch list hence the exemption."

"I am on a watch list because I connected with someone on the dangerous list?"

"Yes Sam. You will be on that list for life." The councillor delivering the news a little flatly which did not impress Sam too much.

"So I cannot even connect with Adastra even if I have already done so?"

"I do not think we have ever had anyone willing to meld again with anyone on the dangerous list. The courts would have to decide."

Sam decided there and then to upset the apple-cart and just hoped that Adastra would be up for it. Sam spoke in English to keep the councillor and Kriana out of the loop. "Adastra, I want to prove that you aren't dangerous just misunderstood. Would you be willing to meld with me to try and show that?" Adastra looked at Sam as if he had told her to rob a bank, but a smile crept across her face as she remembered what Sha'ira had said.

"You really don't see the risks Sam?" Kate piping up but at least sticking to English.

"Yes, but it should be worth it." Sam thinking if he didn't try this now then every time they melded in the future they would be arrested. With that he looks back at Adastra and gives a nod.

"Relax, let yourself go. Find that link you know well and pull it towards you. Embrace eternity."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Hello Adastra." Sam says as he walks past with an oak floorboard over his shoulder.

"I see you are getting rid of the stone floor." Adastra looks to the right of the entrance to see an unfinished floor. "Yes. It should be stained next time you come. Could I ask what the councillor meant by traps?"

"Last time I wiped someone's memory I put a few hidden images into very rarely used data. When they went searching for the memories I had wiped they came across the images." Sam just laughs as he knocks a couple of nails into the board.

"You really are creative I'll give you that. Which planet would you prefer to get located on Illium or Thessia as I know noting about either." Adastra seems to have an idea.

"I'll be right back." Sam had barely enough time to put two more nails into the end of the floorboard before Adastra came back with two books. One titled travel guide to Illium and the other travel guide to Thessia. "These should help Sam. I only have a tiny preference to Illium but I would be happy enough on either planet. See what you think."

"Thank you again Adastra. If you don't mind I would like to get back to laying this floor."

"Sorry, tell me when its done Sam."

"I will." With that Adastra left and the library was replaced by the Enlighten as Sam opened his eyes.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Sam, You and Adastra are confined to the ship." The councillor seemingly not pleased by the blatant disregard for law. Sam felt slightly light-headed as if he had just stood up quickly but was still thinking straight.

"I thought we already were anyway so what exactly is different?" Adastra wondered if he had planned this to deliberately show how silly this all is or not. The councillor did not seem to appreciate the witty retort.

"You will have a trial when you get off the ship. I can not allow the Enlighten to block a berth for months so I will see if I can arrange it to be sooner. Also you can not attend the announcement tomorrow."

"If Sam and Adastra cannot attend then I will not." Shiala stated knowing that the two had a mutual trust and wouldn't harm each other.

"Nor will I." Fosanta wanting to keep the crew as a cohesive group even through tough times.

"Councillor I will also not attend if we cannot all go." Kate staying friendly whilst making a stand. The councillor now having a dilemma as she had lost both of the new species and it would look silly to have only two of the seven crew.

Kriana was torn between the crew and the obligation as the captain to attend. "Councillor I am sure that having to postpone the announcement and having to speed up a trial would be more effort than adding a new clause to this law."

"What would you propose is added?" It would indeed be more effort to reschedule everything than add a new clause but the addition would have to have a good deterrent.

"Both parties must be independently verified to pose no threat to each other. If its the case then they are free to meld with each other if they wish to." Kriana looked at Adastra who nodded in agreement to the proposal.

"How can Adastra and Sam be verified?" Kriana had no idea on that question and looked to Adastra.

"Sha'ira will agree to meld with Sam if we can have a talk. She will see that I have done no damage nor added any traps. This should be enough proof to show I am not a dangerous individual." Adastra seeing no other way out of this but she trusted Sha'ira. Fosanta, Kate and Shiala were just watching on to see how all of this unfolds. It would certainly be something novel for one individual to cause a law change, even if it is just adding a clause.

"I will go and propose this to the Council. If they agree I will get a message to you and Sha'ira."

"Thank you councillor." Sam thinking it would probably be best to stay on her good side as all he seems to have been at the moment is a pain. With barely a nod of acknowledgement she gets up to leave the Enlighten with Kriana and Shiala following behind.

"I hope this goes well for you two."

"I am hopeful it will Fosanta. Kate have you had any thought about what planet you would like to go to?" Sam trying to seem like he is confident but feeling anything but.

"I have no idea."

"I got some information from Adastra which might be helpful once this issue has blown over but unfortunately I do not have the cool ability to combine nervous systems."

"I would have helped you too Kate but I am sure you do not want to end up on the list." Adastra added feeling like a wanted murderer.

"I appreciate the offer Adastra but I would definitely like to stay off the list and not cause more problems. Fosanta would you help me out?"

"Sure Kate, your room or here?" Sam could see Adastra was feeling depressed.

"Adastra come and have a sit in my room". Sam then remembered something. "Kate you will owe me £100 later." With that Adastra and Sam get up and walk down the hallway with an arm around each other to his room. Kate laughing at the bet as there was no way to pay him. She was a little worried though as to what was happening with Adastra.

"Here would be fine with me." Kate absent-mindedly musing as she watches Sam and Adastra walking down the corridor. Once they go into Sam's room she turns back to Fosanta.

"Are you comfortable Kate?"

"I am good Fosanta."

"Clear your mind Kate. Find that connection that you used previously. Pull it closer to you. Embrace eternity."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Fosanta coughs with all the paint dust that was floating in the air. "Could you kindly stop making as much dust for a few minutes Kate?"

"My apologies." Kate stops rubbing the wall with the wire brush. "It really needs a repaint as it looks awful."

"I admit the flaking paint was not all that welcoming but neither is all the dust. Anyway I have two files for you." Fosanta holding them up in the air. Each simply entitled the name of the planet, the Thessia one thicker than the Illium. Kate puts down the brush on the floor and carefully takes the files. "You really need to clean yourself off as your hair has lots of paint flakes in it Kate."

"It will be ok for now until I have finished. I appreciate you giving me this Fosanta." Kate leafing through the Illium file.

"No problem but I am going to leave before I get some kind of respiratory condition." Kate laughs a little.

"I hope it is more inviting next time. Thanks again." Fosanta nods before heading back towards the door at the end of the corridor.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate feels the Enlighten come back as she opened her eyes. There wasn't really any headache to speak of which was an improvement. Both of them turned as they heard the lift doors open. Sha'ira walking out and giving a warm knowing smile to Fosanta and Kate. "Would one of you kindly with to tell me I would find Adastra and Sam?"

"Yes, they are in Sam's room which is the last door on the right." Kate stating confidently as she had not long ago watched them walk in there.

"I appreciate the help." With that Sha'ira turned and gracefully walked down the corridor soon getting to the end and knocking on the door without hesitation.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra just flopped on the bed face down wondering how the hell everything had got to this stage from just a skin pigmentation. Sam laid down on the other side of the bed on his side looking at Adastra. "Would you like to voice what you are thinking?"

"This condition has been a curse my whole life. There just seems to be no end as to how much it is going to mess with everything. I tried in my younger years to accept it as a part of me. That soon ended when I got ridiculed, tormented and bullied. Then I tried to bury it in a hole but that does not work either. I am out of options now, there is nothing I can do."

"You are not giving up are you?"

"There is nothing left that I can do short of tattooing over the top of it." This made Sam a little upset that she was even contemplating doing such a thing.

"Adastra, look at me." She turns her head to her right to show the tears she had wanted to hide. "You will not deface or mask your nice pigmented skin, the real problem you have is the fallout that occurred from the negativity it caused. For a start lets see if we can get you onto the watch list." Adastra just does a small nod and turns back to be face down, pondering what Sam had just said.

A knock at the door surprised Sam but Adastra didn't move so he got off the bed and walked to the door. "Oh, hello again. Come in." Sam a little shocked that Sha'ira was stood in front of him "You are just the person we could do with." With that Sam and Sha'ira walked in, Adastra looked to her left to see who it was. When she saw it was Sha'ira she quickly sat up and started drying her eyes.

"I hope that I am not interrupting anything." Sha'ira talking as she sat down next to Adastra looking towards Sam and patting the space next to her at the foot end of the bed. Sam got the hint and quickly sat down giving himself a little more personal space than last time. "Kriana and Shiala requested that I came to see you when it was reasonable for me to do so. You two seem to be making yourselves known."

"I was not exactly pleased with a law which made it illegal for people on the dangerous list to meld. I can see why it was done but Adastra is no more dangerous than you or I. I really needed to try and get that message to everyone."

"So you melded in front of the councillor to force her hand?"

"What I was trying to do was get Adastra off the dangerous list as she is not a criminal, nor is she dangerous and therefore she does not deserve to be on it. As long as Adastra feels safe then she is fine. Also I really needed some information on Illium and Thessia." Sha'ira just about manages to hold back the laugh at the second fairly lame excuse.

"Do you feel as if you are misunderstood Adastra?"

"Yes, I feel guilt for every memory I have robbed and feel remorse for the suicide victim. I did not intend to hurt any of them but they hurt me more than I could accept." A tear rolls down her face from her left eye. "I would not hurt anyone without a good reason but everyone acts as if I would snap them in half if they so much as look at me funny."

Sha'ira thinks for a few seconds her arm around Adastra who now has her head in her hands. "Adastra, there is only one way off the list. I will be taking a great risk and trusting you not to trick or misguide me but I need to see every incident. You can omit any images of your condition but everything else I need to look at. Would you be willing to do that? and if so can I trust you?"

Adastra sat there head in hands sobbing softly torn between the unhappiness of the events of the past and the happiness of someone finally willing to help. Sam moves around the back of Sha'ira to sit next to Adastra. Putting his left arm over her shoulder he whispers to her. "We are both here to help Adastra, we can only do so much without your help though." Adastra takes a deep breath and pulls her head out of her hands and turns to Sha'ira as he tries to dry her face yet again.

"I will do everything I can." Sha'ira was expecting a bit more of a direct response but could see she meant every word. She wipes her eyes a little more before getting comfortable. "I am ready when you are Sha'ira."

"Embrace Eternity." With that both Asari's eyes go black. Sam was surprised as to how quickly they made the connection. He then remembered back to Earth when he was told there are less side effects with practice and assumed this could be a similar thing.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am glad you are here Sha'ira." Adastra stood inside the entrance to what looked like a large museum, the only thing lacking was the traditional exhibitions. Instead replaced by cylinders of data pads, each one focusing on a single topic. The whole building was immaculately clean and bright with its large expanses of marble and large staircases between floors.

"It is only going to be a quick visit Adastra. Could you take me to where the memories of the incidents are?"

"This way." Sha'ira followed Adastra through the building to a painted steel door. They walk through the door and down a cold, damp corridor to a reasonable sized room which was reasonably lit. "It is not something I like to display but here it all is." In front of them were three cylinders which held all the information Sha'ira wished to see.

"Could you remove everything you wish me not to see Adastra." She nods and takes a trip around each cylinder taking several pads from each before walking back with a stack of a couple of dozen of pads which she places on a small table on the left side of the room. "You are free to look at anything else that is left." Sha'ira nods and starts digging through the data.

Its not too long before Sha'ira had finished digging though. The warm smile on her face giving nothing away as usual. "I appreciate the opportunity to look at this but now I must leave." Adastra nods and Sha'ira vacates the room which quickly gets replaced by Sam's room.

"I would kindly request both of you to say nothing about what happened in here. I will be back as soon as this gets resolved." Sha'ira seemingly keen to get somewhere.

"Got it." Sam quick off the mark trying to see if Sha'ira was going to drop any more hints.

"I understand Sha'ira." With a nod and a smile she left the room.

"I hope her being in a rush to leave means its good news." Sam whispered in Adastra's ear.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"So it is agreed that Illium would be the best place to go. We just need to find out what Sam and Adastra think."

"I think it might be an idea to wait a while before asking them. I could see Adastra being more comfortable on Illium though." Fosanta putting a bit of a lid on Kate's over enthusiasm.

"I think they would appreciate talking about something else now." Sha'ira added with a smile as she walked to the lift and pressed the button. "I will be visiting again in the near future." With that she steps into the lift and leaves.

Fosanta and Kate head to Sam's room to ask them where they would prefer to be located. Fosanta knocks on the door and they hear a come in from inside. The pair of them walk in to see Sam sitting next to a slightly upset Adastra. "Have a seat you two." Fosanta takes the chair and Kate manages to find an empty space on the desk to sit on.

"Sha'ira was in here a long time, what happened?" Sam knew Kate was just making sure they were fine but they had been told not to say anything about what happened.

"I had sex with her. It was great." Sam just about managing to keep a straight face as there was an intake of breath from Kate. Fosanta knew Sha'ira's reputation all too well and just rolled her eyes. Adastra just had to smile and shake her head. "Kate. It is ok I did not really. I can not say what happened so I had to make something up." Kate suddenly felt a bit of a fool but had to laugh along with everyone else. "So why did you come for a chat?"

"We had been discussing which planet would be best for us to be located on. I would prefer Illium as there is more options for communications jobs there than on Thessia."

"I just thought options seemed a little wider on Illium, but we wondered where you two would pick."

"I have a slight preference for Illium as Thessia has not exactly been good for me in the past."

"Everyone else seems to prefer Illium so Illium it is. I had no preference either way really." Sam providing his opinion which seems to settle that discussion before everyone thinks about settling in for the night.

* * *

><p><strong>15th January 2017<strong>

Sha'ira walks towards the reception desk in the council offices. "Greetings I wish to speak to the Asari Councillor."

"I am extremely sorry Sha'ira but she is currently in a security meeting. Would you like to make an appointment?"

"No. The information I have will be important to the meeting she is in. Just say I visited them again, she will know what I mean." The receptionist seemed to look puzzled at this but sent a message to the councillors Omni-tool anyway. It was about ten minutes before the councillor appeared from a door on the right.

"Good morning Councillor. Do you have somewhere private to talk. This is important."

"I really hope it is as I am busy this morning. This way." Sha'ira and the councillor walk down a small hallway and enter the second room on the right.

"What is so important Sha'ira?" the councillor seemingly not having a good day yet again.

"Adastra should not be on the dangerous list."

"You know yourself that she is a prime example of a dangerous person."

"I thought that too until I saw everything from her perspective."

"What is it with everyone who goes on that ship, first Sam and now you."

"I am just doing my job Councillor. Everyone just assumed the worst as no one was willing to take any risk. It is these negative decisions that have caused her to be as she is today not her condition." The councillor sighs.

"What do you advise me to do?" the councillor starting to sound a little exasperated by this point.

"Move her from the dangerous list to the watch list. I can confirm she is eligible for that change. I believe that would render the meeting you were in pointless as there would not need to be a law change. Also it is not currently illegal to meld with someone on the watch list. So all charges against Sam would be dropped."

"That added clause was never going to get added anyway. Is there anything else Sha'ira?"

"Can you confirm to me when the list change has happened."

"Yes, I really need to get back to this meeting."

"I appreciate your time." With that Sha'ira heads out of the council offices with the councillor going back into her meeting.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sha'ira's third client since this morning leaves the room and once the door has closed she calls her reception to see if she has any messages.

"You have a message from the councillor that just says `It has been done`."

"Tell my next client I will be an hour. Please make her comfortable."

"As you wish mistress." With that she gets up and walks out of her room heading towards the docks.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sha'ira steps out of the lift to see Kate, Fosanta, Sam and Adastra happily talking around one of the tables.

"Sha'ira, Welcome back. We are just talking about what it might be like on Illium when we get there." Fosanta first to notice Sha'ira.

"I feel that was a wise choice by you all. I am however only here long enough to say to Adastra it has been done." Adastra jumps up almost wiping the table out and nearly knocking Sha'ira to the floor as she goes in for a hug. "I will unable to be of any more help to you for a while Adastra."

"You have done more than most people ever have for me Sha'ira. I have no way to repay my debt to you."

"Don't worry Adastra, you will repay it in a unique way in the future. I must however leave, I hope you all settle in well on Illium." The four of therm nod and with a smile Sha'ira leaves to head back to her office.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kriana, Emala, Shiala and the councillor all arrive on-board the Enlighten just as everyone else has just finished their evening meal.

"Councillor, what brings you here at such a late time?" Fosanta clearly a little curious as to quite what is happening.

"I am here to give everyone some news and to ask if you would reconsider tomorrow."

"That depends on the news." Sam still slightly annoyed at being prosecuted.

"Well. All your charges have been dropped Sam as Adastra was this afternoon reclassified as you no doubt already know. Adastra you are now free to leave the ship as you wish."

"I am up for tomorrow what about everybody else?" Kate thinking that this was the best time. The question gaining a yes from everyone else. "Looks like tomorrow is good councillor."

"I am pleased that you have all reconsidered. I have a couple of more items I need to sort before I leave. Have you all chosen which planet you wish to be relocated to?"

"Kate, Sam, Adastra and myself decided Illium if that is ok with yourself." The councillor nods.

"Shiala is going to return to Matriarch Benezia and Emala and I to our home on Thessia." Kriana finishing off the decisions.

"Ok, I will confirm with the Armali Council tomorrow but Illium relocations will be in a suburb of Nos Astra. They also have job places in their Illium Facility in Nos Astra for anyone locating on the planet. You can decide about that later, I just thought you should know." The four going to Illium nod. "Emala, Kriana and Shiala. Since you will not be relocating you will get a monetary bonus for your services."

"Councillor I have a question. What kind of housing will we get on Illium?" Sam thinking its always Kate to ask the practical questions. He would be happy with something that has four walls and a roof.

"The original documentation was unclear when relocations involving new species were to be involved. It was originally going to be individual apartments which were in the same block for anyone who wished to work at Armali afterwards. They would probably accept a request of two, two bedroom apartments or a four room house since there are only four of you."

Adastra and Sam look at the other two and say "four?" at the same time getting a small laugh from all of them. Fosanta looks at Kate.

"Four with Sam and Adastra?" It doesn't take long at all for Kate to decide.

"A four bedroom house would be our preference councillor."

"I will see what I can do." Sam turns to Adastra speaking in English.

"Wasn't it the Armali Council who made the plasma thrusters on this ship." Adastra nods. "Want to see if you can get a good job there?" Adastra thinks for a moment.

"I would really like that Sam." Adastra getting visibly excited by that opportunity.

"I'll try to add a perk to make it better." Sam turns from Adastra to the councillor. "Councillor, Adastra and myself will accept a job at the Armali Council in their propulsion department on two conditions."

"What would those be?"

"That we get twenty percent paid time to do whatever we wish to and flexible working hours." Sam expected the shocked look from the councillor but not from Adastra.

"I, I will pass your proposal to them."

"They are welcome to see our work in engineering if they want convincing." Sam remembered the large amount of work they had done to repair the ship would probably be a good bargaining chip. The councillor nodded but didn't seem convinced.

"I think that is everything I need to get on with and everything you need to know. Be ready for tomorrow mornings announcement." With that she walked towards the lift to leave the ship.

"I can not believe you even tried to get that kind of offer Sam." Kriana waiting until the lift doors had closed. She was thinking the best offer she had ever heard of was ten percent and that was mostly for experienced workers. Sam just smiled.

"It will be a damn good job if they accept and the management is not red tape hell." Sam remembering all the forms and health and safety crap he had to complete back on earth to get anything done.

"I would never have asked for anything like that." Adastra with a grin plastered on her face.

"Hence why I asked for you. You know what you are doing so you should get some perks." Sam looked over to Kate and Fosanta "What jobs do you think you will do?"

"I will probably see if there is anything in Illium control."

"I would have taken one at Armali if it did not sound all technical."

"It might be worth asking if they have an office job Kate."

"I think I might Adastra. If I can get flexible hours too that would be a good perk. I am going to sleep on it though as its been a long day." Kate gets up to head to her room. Everyone else has a quick discussion and comes to the same idea that an early night might be a good idea before tomorrows announcement.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**It seems the councillor needs either more coffee or needs to find a new side of the bed to get out of. Sam and Adastra getting into trouble yet again. When will this end? I wonder how the average person on the citadel will react to the announcement. Find out in the next chapter which will be posted on the 25th February.**

**If you have time to provide feedback using reviews then it would be much appreciated as it would be good to see readers opinions. Thank you to all those who have favourited the story or spent the time to review up to this point.**


	17. Chapter 17 : Announcement

**Chapter 17 - Announcement**

* * *

><p><strong>16th January 2017<strong>

The Dilinaga Concert Hall was being prepared for the announcement with two large images of the Enlighten. The one on the left showing the pristine paintwork as it left Nos Astra nearly five years ago. The one on the right showing the blistered and charred paintwork as it had turned up to the Citadel three days ago. Beneath and between the images a large stage area had been assembled. A lower area at the front with three lecterns and a higher area at the back with seven seats. The hall had been packed with enough seating for ten thousand individuals some of which had already started to arrive.

Sam was wondering why the hell he had not brought any decent clothing with him so he just threw on some light cargo trousers and a plain black t-shirt. Adastra had just finished in the shower and came out wearing her usual clothes too.

"Are you in the same boat as I am with having nothing better to wear?"

"Yes. Although it is quite difficult for me to get some of the nicer styles of clothing as it tends to expose flesh."

"Ahh, I can see why that could be an issue. We should go and meet up with the others." Adastra nods and they both walk out of the door towards the lift.

Everyone was at the airlock ready to go when Sam and Adastra walked out of the lift. They just smiled at them as they joined the rest of the crew who all had on their standard stuff.

"I am guessing this is going to be broadcast and yet we are all wearing our normal clothes?" Sam said.

"I was going to put something nicer on Sam but I could not find it easily. I might have brought too much." Sam laughs and Shiala smiles at Kate's admission of wanting to being everything.

"I do not think any of us envisioned that we would have to do and public announcement without being able to leave the ship first Sam." Sam nods to Kriana before they are collected to go to the concert hall.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

It was not long before they reached the hall on the Tayseri Ward in the private shuttle and were waiting backstage for the event to start. The seating was just about full with only a couple of minutes left before the start. Sam was getting cold feet now at the prospect of basically being paraded in front of a large mass of people let alone probably being on multiple broadcasts.

"I feel like I do when I have a doctors appointment I must go to. That nervous dread that makes you feel funny."

"You are not the only one Sam." Fosanta was probably feeling it worst as she would be the first out followed by Kate, who was suspiciously quiet. Emala then Kriana in the middle of the seven of them, Shiala, Sam and finally Adastra at the end. They saw the lights dim slightly from backstage and the general low level noise die down.

"Welcome everyone to today's special announcement about the Enlighten mission." The Asari councillor starting the proceedings as per usual.

"We have some exiting news for everyone today regarding what the Enlighten found." the Turian councillor looking like he cannot wait.

"We also welcome back everyone, that arrived on-board the Enlighten, three days ago. Those brave few, who despite the odds, stayed on-board and were rewarded." The Salarian added to the proceedings.

"Everyone as of today the Enlighten mission has ended. During its fifty six months in uncharted space it has found over two hundred and fifty new resource rich planets in many clusters and three habitable planets. All of which will help galactic communities for years to come." A round of applause came from the crowd.

"As most of you will know on the eleventh of December we received a distress call from the Enlighten with twenty four of the twenty nine crew on-board evacuating. We got ships to the area on the twenty third to find a Batarian mining colony which had we presumed destroyed the Enlighten and took the crew for slavery. We found twenty of the crew still at the colony and the possible location of the missing four that had been moved elsewhere. After scouring local systems and finding nothing of the Enlighten we gave up the search on the first of January." The Turian councillor seemingly taking charge of security.

"To our amazement, four days ago we got a radio message from the Enlighten reporting to be in the Exodus Cluster. We later discovered that to get away from the attack the ship had to suffer a mass effect core discharge." gasps and murmurs went around the hall as the Asari councillor waited before continuing. "Due to that incident however, I have the pleasure to announce that the Enlighten achieved its highest goal that it was set fifty six months go, to discover a new species." The crowd really didn't know how to take that news, some gasped and some applauded. "Two of the new species took in the two Asari ground crew after a bad landing giving them medical support, food and somewhere warm to stay. One thing led to another and well. Everyone welcome back the crew of the ASL Enlighten." The crowd started cheering loudly as Fosanta appeared from the side of the stage. Then when Kate appeared the cheering suddenly nearly petered out.

"I think that would be the sound of leaving an impression." Kate whispering in English. Fosanta could only quietly laugh. All of them eventually walked out into the gaze of twenty thousand plus eyes, stopping next to their seat and sitting down facing the crowd which was now a sea of people with jaws on the floor, clapping intermittently. An odd flash every now and then as people remembered they could take pictures.

"Everyone, The species that were discovered call themselves Humans. Kate is on your left and Sam is on your right. They were the ones who were friendly and welcoming to our species. We hope you can do the same for them." The Asari councillor concluded. A bit puzzled at the confused reaction.

"You will get a fact sheet when you leave. You can also find out more on the Extranet by searching 'Enlighten discovery'. There is no more information available currently, but when there is it will be put on that page. Thank you for attending." The Turian councillor finishing the announcement early as he could see it was a bit much for everyone to soak in. The crew filed off the stage to a hall full of people talking to each other.

"That seemed to go well." Kate being in a sarcastic mood for some reason.

"They all seemed to fall flat just like the councillor did." Sam earning a laugh from everyone for that observation.

"I hope someone has a plan for getting us out of here." Shiala looking out of the small window in the door at the amassing journalists.

"I do." The councillor said walking into the room from the stage. "If everyone could take a seat I can use this time rather than having to waste it going back to the Enlighten." Everyone quickly found a seat as there were plenty scattered around backstage. "First, the Armali council have procured two four bedroom houses next to each other on Illium for you and the security detail. Second and even I am shocked at this, they agreed with your clauses for taking up a job with them. Finally, your security will be on-board the Enlighten this afternoon. Shiala, Emala and Kriana, your detail will be C-Sec officers and will not be with you when you get to Thessia. Adastra, Fosanta, Kate and Sam. Your detail will be Asari commandos who will accompany you to Illium and wherever else you wish to go. Does anyone have any questions?"

"Yes, is it one or two security per person?" Adastra wondering how difficult its going to be to keep away from them.

"Two Adastra. We would usually like you to live with security in the same house. I could see that possibly being an issue though so with two houses, you can have one and the security the other."

"A slight security risk for a lot more privacy, I will take the privacy."

"That would be why I suggested to split the houses Sam. The houses share a garden and a perimeter wall but they are otherwise detached." the Councillor looks at her Omni-tool to check the new message that had just arrived.

"We may now leave unhindered. Kate, Sam, as soon as you have your security you may leave the Enlighten to walk around the Citadel if you wish to. I will check in with you all this evening to see that everything is ok." With that everyone leaves using the side entrance to the venue which has been cleared of journalists by C-Sec.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

No one dared venture out of the ship since this morning given that any of them would be constantly hounded for interviews or their story.

"Shiala, do you know if the security will already be grouped to be with a certain person?"

"Undoubtedly Kate. It would be bad form to not know who to protect beforehand." Kriana looking down at her Omni-tool after it beeping.

"Speaking of security, the C-sec team will be here in five minutes. Adastra, Fosanta, Kate and Sam. Your security have had a bit of a hold-up in port security. They will be here in two hours."

"Why would they be delayed in security?" Sam confused as to why security would delay security.

"The weapons and the fact that it is eight commandos will have made them cautious." Shiala answering the best she could from her time doing the job.

"I suppose we are a bit of an exceptional case from a security standpoint."

"True Kate. Fosanta once our security arrive we are going to leave the ship so you will be on greeting duty for your group."

"Ok Kriana." Fosanta wondering if they were leaving to get something better to eat than the grey mush on-board or whether it was something more important. Kriana, Emala and Shiala head to the lift.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The press were waiting outside the Enlighten on the corridor which has the lift to C-Sec and to the mass transit station. "This must be the security to take them off the ship." one said. A reply of "only six officers though?" came from in the group. "The councillors only get three, this must be it." The four Turian and two Asari officers, each carrying a standard issue pistol, walked past replying to none of the shouted questions.

The three of them waited just outside the airlock just out of sight of the waiting journalists. They heard the commotion the officers were causing before seeing them round the corner and walk towards the Enlighten.

"I can now see why we need six on this job." One of the Turians said to the group as they approached the three waiting crew.

"Hello, I am Kriana. I am glad to see you." She bows her head slightly in greeting.

"I bet, I am Roskan. Myself and Talmira will be your security until you leave the Citadel." Roskan pointing out Talmira who bows her head. The Turian turns to look at the young Asari. "Emala I presume?"

"Yes." Emala feeling a little shy facing six armed people.

"Your security will be handled by Toren and Cahana." Emala shakes Torens outstretched talon and nods to Cahana who reciprocates. "Shiala, you have been allocated Nakrin and Parvon to help you." Shiala nods to Roskan and shakes both of the Turians talons.

"We were going to go and get some lunch if that is ok with you all."

"Yes that is fine. Just do not say anything to journalists." With that they all set off, with the four Turians at the front and the two Asari behind Kriana, Emala and Shiala. The journalists seemed to suddenly get exited when they saw the four Turians round the corner out of the walkway. The disappointment was evident when it was evident it was only three of the crew exiting. This didn't deter the shouting of questions and mass of cameras going off. All of them said nothing as they walked towards the mass transit station followed by a gaggle of overenthusiastic journalists looking for the big story.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I like how they get the decent food and we get the crap for yet another day." Sam talking to the lump of grey on his plate as if he could torment it into being something better.

"This is infinitely better than one batch we received Sam, as it was awful."

"That was the longest three months of the mission. Adastra was forever moaning and to improve her mood the pranks got worse. Anyway we could always go somewhere for our evening meal." Sam nods.

"That sounds good, do you have somewhere in mind?" Kate seemingly as fed up of the mush as everyone else.

"I have never really spent much time on the Citadel so there is no where I can really suggest." Fosanta having been on Thessia, Illium or ships most of her past.

"There is a fairly exclusive restaurant not far from the Presidium I know of. They prefer you to book a table but I am sure eight commandos and two new species would persuade them." Adastra getting a laugh from everyone else with that.

"It is agreed then?" Fosanta looking around and getting a nod from everyone.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The mass of journalists had thinned a little given some followed the previous group and some had got bored of waiting. The lift from C-Sec arrived at the floor and out walked four Asari commandos. Each of them were carrying a pistol and a potent looking assault rifle on their back. "This looks more like it." One of the group said. "I agree, four commandos is a lot." Most of the group stayed reasonably quiet, just taking pictures and video for tonight's press.

Fosanta having been alerted to their arrival was waiting by the airlock when they walked around the corner. She wasn't surprised to only see four of them given that commandos usually worked alone or in pairs.

"I am sorry to disappoint you Fosanta but your security will be arriving shortly. Security would only allow us to travel in groups of four unless accompanying someone." Fosanta was a little taken aback as to how informed they seemed to be but tried not to show it.

"I understand, Follow me." Fosanta and the four armed Asari entered the Enlighten and took the lift down a deck.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I once had a commando for security, never before have I got so angry at anyone. She looked constantly miserable, rarely said anything and I am sure deliberately went out of her way to make my life miserable." Adastra reminisced just before the lift doors opened and out walked Fosanta followed by four commandos.

"Take a seat." Adastra clearly wanting to keep this friendly. The five of them took seats and got down to business.

"Adastra, I am Imphaya and this is Maritha." she gestures to the Asari next to her "We will be your security."

"It is good to meet you, I am surprised we are getting two people each though."

"The humans are high value targets so that is obvious. You have a bit of a reputation which we have heard you are trying to shake." Adastra nods "It just happened to be convenient to provide Fosanta with two as well." Imphaya being clued up well enough. Maritha seemed a little tightly wound though and hadn't yet said a word. There was a bit of a pause before another of the commandos spoke up.

"Sam, I am Hymara and this is Lianta. We will be the ones protecting you."

"Hello to you both. I see you know who everyone is. Please excuse me if I get your names mixed up for a while."

"We do not really look alike, how hard can it be?" Lianta clearly being a little naive.

"I think you are forgetting I have only seen seven Asari before today. Please give me a bit of slack." Sam not raising his voice as he knew it wasn't really her fault. He just wanted to air the problem though.

"Our apologies. We cannot really understand how odd this all seems to you." Hymara added. Sam thanking his luck for getting two that at least talk.

"How come you have arrived as two separate groups?"

"Citadel security would not allow us to be in a group of more than four. It would have caused too much panic. Your team will be along shortly Kate." Imphaya clearly being the most talkative.

"You know my name?" Kate feeling a little uncomfortable.

"We know all of the names and faces of the crew members. We would not wish to separate you just because we did not know who your friends are." Hymara taking up the information baton.

"That is nice to know, I was a little surprised at the airlock." Fosanta added before her Omni-tool beeped. "I will be right back."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"It should not be too long before they disembark since they have been stuck on there for days." One of the journalists muttered to her colleague who saw the group of four more commandos that had just exited the lift. "I do not think we will be getting interviews." The commandos walked past them with a determination just as the first had.

Fosanta hadn't been waiting long before the group of four rounded the corner onto the walkway and approached her.

"It is good to see you Fosanta. My name is Salayla and this is Kalawa. We will be your security provision."

"It is good to meet you both. I am guessing you two are here for Kate?" The pair nod "Everyone follow me." With that they head down to deck two.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"How do you get selected for a certain person?" Sam added curious when the Asari had said they were selected for this job.

"Well Adastra did not need two experienced people so she got myself as I have ample experience but Maritha is new. You got myself and Hymara because we are experienced in security for high value targets." Sam nods before noticing a flaw in Adastra's provision.

"Maritha, Could I give you a piece of advice." Sam wondering if this was a good idea. Maritha nodded. "Make the effort to speak with Adastra. She really is not what the rumours say if you are friendly." Adastra smiles at Sam. Maritha nods again and Sam just face palms.

The lift opens and Fosanta again walks out with two Asari either side of her and two behind.

"Everyone this is Kalawa and Salayla." Fosanta gesturing to each as she says their names. Everyone says their greetings and the five that have just entered find a seat. The two unannounced Asari sit near to Kate.

"Kate, This is Yasmari and I am Swathana."

"It is a pleasure to meet you both. I like Sam may forget your names for a while so please excuse us. This is all a bit new to us."

"That is no problem Kate." Yasmari adds. Adastra cursing her luck that she had to get the only miserable one. She makes a mental note to ask Shiala to give her a life lesson as soon as possible.

"How about that meal now? I am hungry." Kate waiting for her stomach to start rumbling.

"Which restaurant were you intending to go to?" Swathana stating as if she was a taxi service. Kate looks at Adastra.

"The Balcony not far from the Presidium." Adastra noted with most of the commandos being a little shocked.

"Do you have reservations there?"

"No Imphaya, The fact that it is us will mean we will get a table. I have turned up without a reservation before and got a table."

"I cannot allow you to go anywhere without specific well organised plans Adastra."

"It speaks!" Sam possibly being a little too mean but getting a laugh out of the crew members and cold looks from the commandos. He leans over to Adastra and in English says "I will have a word. Please try to keep calm but I will understand if you don't as she is already annoying me, I don't know about you."

"She reminds me too much of my first commando, I forgot to mention how well that ended." Sam raised his eyebrows as if to suggest to go on. "That is not a story for now though. Do your best when talking to her."

Sam turns to Maritha "Could we have a chat somewhere a little more private Maritha?" Maritha nods and follows Sam to one of the unused bedrooms.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam sits on the bed and Maritha stands between him and the door. "I brought you in here to give you some more advice. I know you are new so I will take that into account. Saying hello does not kill you and makes you seem more friendly." Maritha was just about to speak when Sam held up his hand. "I will reiterate what I said earlier for you to be friendly to Adastra. This will not end well for you if this continues." Sam gestures for Maritha to say whatever she wants to.

"It is impolite to speak in a language not everyone understands." Sam suddenly gets more riled but keeps his voice calm.

"I was convincing her I should talk. As long as you do not push her you will be fine. I would hate to think what would happen if you did."

"Provoking me will not achieve anything Sam."

"You and I both know I would not be able to touch you before I was dead, hence provoking is pointless. Just be friendly and let her be with us tonight."

"I can not go against what I have been told to do because someone asks." Sam stands up and walks around Maritha to the door.

"Imphaya, could you come here?" Sam shouts down the corridor. He sees her get up and goes back to sit on the bed. She walks in and stands next to Maritha.

"What do you want Sam?"

"You need to decide between you now whether Adastra goes to the restaurant or not. As soon as I get out of here we are leaving." Sam hoped this would spark a bit of a debate and Maritha would cave.

"Imphaya. You know what we were told to do explicitly before we came here. This is outside of what has been approved."

"Maritha. The rules are merely guidelines while you are on the job. This is not a high risk situation and I would rather get to know everyone well than them hating me so I am leaving even if you and Adastra do not. It is your choice to make but I have made mine."

"The instructions did say at least one to stay with her. I will attempt to clear this trip and join you later if I get the all clear." With that Sam had heard enough and as soon as Imphaya nodded he was out of the door with the two commandos trailing in his wake.

"Right, Everyone except Adastra and Maritha to the restaurant." Sam shouted to everyone as he stood at the lift waiting for it to appear.

"Sam, what?" Adastra not understanding why she was being separated.

"You have a by the book security member who needs to clear it first, Sorry Adastra." with that Sam and his security, Imphaya, Kate and her security piled into the lift. Fosanta and her team had to wait for it to come back.

"What are you doing?" Adastra in a calm voice asked Maritha.

"I am trying to get you clearance to join the others for a meal." Maritha staring at her Omni-tool clearly not getting what Adastra meant by the question.

"Why do I need clearance and everyone else does not?" Fosanta and her team got into the lift as she had an idea where this was going after Sam's subtle hints and Adastra's comments earlier.

"You know why?" Maritha not even attempting to round the corners off that comment. Adastra just sat there hoping the clearance comes quickly. She can always beat some sense into her later. It was only about a minute before Maritha's Omni-tool beeped. "You have not got clearance."

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**A mass influx of new individuals. It is not fun to have to suddenly come up with fourteen names, especially so for the C-Sec officers who will not be around long.  
><strong>

**If you hate cliff-hangers then I apologise for this one but nine thousand word chapters are not happening. What will end up happening? Will Adastra get to eat with everyone else? Find out next week 3rd March.**

**All reviews or feedback are welcomed and appreciated.**


	18. Chapter 18 : Mistake

**Chapter 18 - Mistake**

* * *

><p>Everyone had grouped at the airlock ready to go to The Balcony for their evening meal and as they were walking down the walkway Kriana, Emala and Shiala turned the corner to meet them half way.<p>

"I see you are all going out." Kriana evidently missing Adastra out given that there was ten of them.

"All except Adastra and one of her security." Sam added.

"Why is she not going Sam?" Shiala taking a keen interest.

"The commando would not go against explicit rules that seem to only effect her to clear trips in advance." Sam adding as best he could.

"How did she look when you told her?"

"No idea, I did not want to stay to find out." With that Shiala ran into the Enlighten and to the lift. Her security tried to follow but Sam held out his arms. "Shiala will be safe. I want everyone to wait until she reappears." Kriana suddenly seemed to remember what happened last time and helped in stopping everyone moving towards the door.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Shiala was about to shout of Adastra as she exited the lift, but stopped short after seeing widespread carnage, tables and chairs everywhere. Shiala after looking around spotted a commando slumped against the shower room door which had a large dint in it. Quickly moving over she checked to see if she was still alive, she was so she opened her Omni-tool.

"Kriana, I need Sam and a couple of others down here now. Just tell everyone to keep their voices down." With that she closed her Omni-tool and surveyed the damage, knowing that it wouldn't be a great idea for her to try and talk to Adastra.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Sam, Shiala needs you to go down with a couple of others and keep the noise down when you do." Sam tried to think quickly why she would say couple of others. "Fosanta and I need one other person who is medically trained but will not ask questions." Talmira the Asari C-Sec officer that was assigned to Kriana stood forward. "Right both of you with me. Everyone else wait in the Enlighten on the top deck until I say it is safe to go down." with that the three of them get into the lift and go down a deck.

The door opens to reveal debris littered everywhere. They step out just looking at the damage.

"Over here." Shiala keeping her voice down. The three of them see Maritha slumped by the door. Talmira looks around the room and then looks back at the commando. "This makes no sense. Maritha seemingly did all this damage but there is no sign of anyone else being in the room."

"I will have a talk to Adastra." With that Sam walks down the corridor to her room as the three Asari lift Maritha to the lift. He is a little surprised to see Adastra's room empty so he looks in his own to find no one there either. Sam after a quick think ran back to the lift and pressed the button for the bottom deck.

Sam gets hit by a wall of noise as the doors open and the first thing to do is to turn off the gas turbine. He tries to listen carefully as the device spins down for anything which could give away where she was. With no hints after there was near silence in the room he decided to search the maintenance spaces. He grabs a torch from the equipment rack and goes into the left space. He was just about to give in when he heard a small noise from between the outboard thruster and the hull. Pulling himself so he could see behind the thruster he points the torch at the gap. There in front of him was Adastra curled into a ball with nothing on. Looking closer he could see her skin had been burnt. Tears started to roll down Sam's face.

"Oh Adastra" was all he could say. Adastra slowly pulled her arms down and lifted her head which also showed burns under the chin, the nose and the cheeks mostly. Sam took a deep breath and tried to steady himself. Adastra needed him now more than ever. "Can you get out of here and into engineering?" Adastra said nothing but just started moving tears still rolling down her burnt face.

Sam helped her out of the maintenance space and into the light of the engineering deck being careful to try and not touch anything that was burnt. In the light the burns didn't look too bad in that there wasn't any real sign of blistering, it was the extent of them that caused Sam more worry. That and it had basically ruined all the markings on her body unless there was no scarring and the purple tinge subsided.

"I need to get a few things and some advice. Please do not hurt yourself whilst I am away." Adastra just nods solemnly and sits down in a secluded corner. Sam heads back up to deck two to see if anyone is around.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Everyone turns to look at the lift as the doors open. "We would appreciate some help." Talmira shouts across to everyone sitting there. Imphaya quickly moved as she saw it was Maritha who was the one being lifted out of the lift.

"We really need to get her to at least a clinic." Shiala wondering to herself what fallout this is going to have.

"What had happened down there?" Roskan going straight into C-Sec investigation mode.

"Maritha was slumped against a door which had a large dint in it. There was no evidence of anyone else being in the room though." Talmira reports to her boss.

"That is great. There is no way we can get her past the reporters either." Roskan clearly trying to keep a lid on this for as long as possible but feeling frustrated at nothing going in his favour.

"We could move the ship to another dock." Kriana thinking on her feet.

"That might just work. Who can fly this ship?" Roskan quickly asked looking at the crew.

"I have done some basic manoeuvres since it was damaged. I doubt I could dock it safely with no directional thrusters though." Fosanta wondering now why there was only two pilots.

"Adastra has only taught me the absolute basics." Emala adds.

"I am sure I can find a pilot on the citadel that can fly this ship." Fosanta thought before adding "It could take a few hours though."

"Do it."

Shiala and Imphaya had carefully laid Maritha on the floor as it was the only large flat surface that had nothing on it on this deck. Talmira trying to make a basic assessment of the damage.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam looks around deck two to see if there is anyone around. After not finding anyone he goes to his room and pulls a blanket out of the cupboard then to Adastra's room to pull out some clothing. With the small pile of fabric in his arms he heads back to the lift to go up to the top deck.

The doors finally open and Sam steps out to be greeted with eighteen faces looking at him and one lying in state on the floor.

"What is the news with Maritha?" Sam thinking keeping everyone in the dark about Adastra as long as possible would be wise.

"I think she might come around in the next couple of minutes but with a broken arm and three broken ribs she will not exactly be feeling good." Talmira doing her best given her limited medical training.

"We are trying to find a pilot to move the ship now so we can get her some medical care." Roskan updating Sam on what is happening.

"How is Adastra, Sam?" A little worry creeping into Shiala's voice.

"That is what I came up here to tell you about. No one is to go to engineering, you are free to go down a deck and look at the damage if you wish. Given what you have told me about Maritha I think the damage has been fairly even between the two."

"I knew Maritha would not loose so badly." Imphaya said to the seemingly lifeless body on the floor.

"Imphaya. It makes no sense for Maritha to have caused Adastra's injuries." There was a sea of raised eyebrows and you could hear a pin drop at the silence. "I see you all want to know. Her clothes have been burnt off her body." A sea of shock from the security personnel and worry from the crew.

"We really need to move this ship if we have two people needing attention."

"I highly doubt Adastra will want help, I will ask though. Again, no going to engineering. I will be back shortly." With that Sam heads back to the lift and down the bottom.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam arrives in engineering to see Adastra in the same place as she had been when he had left. A wave of emotion flooded over Sam but he shoved it to one side for the moment. Adastra was shivering, whether it was from shock or the cool air Sam didn't know. He unfolded the blanket and carefully placed it around her.

"Adastra, I am sorry if I am being a little cold. I just need to get through this." Sam adding as he sits down next to her. She lifts her head up and to her left to look at Sam. "I understand". Sam tries to force a smile but gets little more than less of a frown from his face. "They are trying to find a pilot upstairs to move the ship so they can get Maritha off without being seen. Would you move it if Fosanta helped?"

"I will try." Sam knew just how selfless Adastra was behind the damage but it was just now it hit home. With that a tear rolled down his face. "I will be right back." Adastra gives a weak nod and Sam leaves to go back up.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The C-Sec officers had descended upon deck two taking photos and documenting everything they could see. It couldn't ever be used in a case as the scene was not undisturbed but it could be helpful. The dint in the door was of importance as it was near a much more solid wall. It wouldn't have been difficult for Adastra have thrown Maritha into that instead, killing her outright.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam after trying to settle himself and dry his eyes in the lift walked out into the top deck. He couldn't see Maritha on the floor any more. "Where is Maritha?"

"Here Sam, she came to whilst you were away." Kate pointing to a commando obviously in pain but sitting up on a chair.

"Good, You said you were looking for a pilot?" with that Fosanta stopped typing and looked up.

"Yes, Sam why?"

The lift doors reopen and the C-Sec officers pile out. Roskan after seeing Sam moved everyone to a seat.

"Adastra has said she will fly it if you help Fosanta."

"I would be more than willing to as I was getting no where trying to find someone willing to help us."

"Get someone else. I am not letting that bitch help me, especially after she tried to kill me." Maritha croakily shouted with an obvious venom in her tone. Sam could see now why Adastra was so damaged if this was the kind of comments she had got in the past. The memories of seeing Adastra truly happy on Earth made Sam feel a bubbling anger for himself that he took her from where she seemed happy to this. He walked over to where Maritha was sitting his eyes threatening to water his skin again and crouches down to be about the same level.

"Adastra is currently in pain, on a cold floor, in engineering just wanting to have a purpose. She has never killed anyone and I do not think that she wants to start with herself. However that seems more and more likely every passing day because of people like yourself, who treat her differently to everyone else." Sam kept a level voice during his little speech. He stands up looking at Maritha's cold expression and starts crying as he walks to the cockpit for a bit of privacy. Kate quickly follows. Sam couldn't face sitting where Adastra did in the pilots chair so sat in the navigators chair instead and put his head in his hands.

"Is there anything I can do to help Sam?" Sam looked at Kate who also seemed a little upset.

"Go to engineering, get Adastra. Be careful." he managed to eventually get out before putting his head in his hands. He couldn't face seeing the self destruction again. Kate walked to the lift, Yasmari and Swathana getting up and approaching Kate. "No, I need to go alone." she said holding her hand out.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate was getting nervous in the lift wondering how Adastra will react to her. There was little time to dwell on the fact as the doors opened to reveal a quiet engineering deck. She steps out wondering here Adastra was.

"Adastra, It is Kate. Sam asked me to come down for you." Talking in a quiet tone so as not to spook her.

"Why not Sam?" She heard a weak voice reply.

"I do not think he can bare to see you again in pain." Kate probably being a little too bluntly honest given the soft sobbing that had started filling the deck. Kate cautiously walked to the source of the noise, peering around the corner she saw Adastra covered by a blanket, her head down. Kate carefully sits down to the left of her. "We all care about you Adastra. How bad are the burns?" Adastra looked at Kate then carefully lifted the blanket up so Kate could see the bottom of her right leg. The purple skin marks looked like bruises that covered the majority of the skin. Kate could only feel the sorrow rise in her stomach. "Is your entire body like that?". Adastra just nodded as the tears started again.

"I will not ask anything else." Kate having to take a deep breath to stop herself joining Adastra. She could see why Sam could not face seeing her again for the moment. "Do you want any help getting to the lift?" Adastra dries her eyes on the blanket and shakes her head. With careful measured steps they both go into the lift.

Neither say anything in the lift although Kate was wondering why Adastra burnt herself and Adastra was hoping that what she had done had not undone everything she had tried to do over the last few days to change her reputation. The lift opens and with Kate standing to the left of Adastra they made their way out and straight to the cockpit neither of them looking at anyone that was in the room to their left hand side.

Adastra takes the pilots seat, Fosanta already in the co-pilots seat, Sam in the navigators seat. Fosanta looks over at Adastra and her burnt face but decides against saying anything. This was difficult to do when she stuck her arms out of the blanket to use the console. Large amounts of purple were covering the blue skin with the colour being more of a purply brown where her markings were. Fosanta stayed professional blocking it out of her mind for now.

"Citadel control this is the ASL Enlighten requesting a new dock in the two four four area."

"ASL Enlighten we need to request the reason for your dock change."

"Medical reasons C-Sec officers onboard will approve if needed."

"No need. You are clear to dock two three one. Citadel control out."

Adastra started the disembark and all the journalists turned wondering where the ship was going to. It was slow progress to the new dock given the enlighten could only use its mass effect cores to steer. Seventeen minutes later and the enlighten slid neatly into the dock, the docking clamps taking hold.

As soon as the dock walkway was connected to the ship Maritha was helped off the ship and to the nearby medical facility.

"Kate, Fosanta. You two go and have a meal on the citadel. I think after tonight you need it." Sam trying to smooth things over again.

"We cannot go without you two. It would not be right." Kate said from the back of the cockpit.

"Ok, could you two help Adastra down a deck and get us all something to eat. You might need to do a bit of furniture building. I need to go somewhere. I will not be long." Kate and Fosanta nod, Adastra still seemingly in her own world. Sam gets up and heads to the airlock.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Hymara and Lianta get up off their seats and meet Sam as he is just about to leave as if it was scripted.

"where are we heading to Sam?" Lianta curious as to where he wanted to go.

"I need to get someone who will help Adastra. I have no idea who though."

"I am fairly friendly with Thalmara who is a doctor at the clinic they were taking Maritha too." Hymara trying to be helpful.

"It would have been better if there was someone at another clinic. What is she like?"

"One of the most friendly people you would be likely to meet." Sam was thinking that would be tough after meeting Sha'ira. "You could have just have asked us to get a doctor for her."

"I know that Hymara but you might have omitted her requirements which usually make people run or treat her differently."

It didn't take too long to walk the distance to the clinic. Given it was fairly late it wasn't too busy just the odd drunk in the waiting room. The three of them walk up to reception, the receptionist getting tongue tied when she saw Sam.

"Could we speak to Doctor Thalmara please?" Hymara knocking the receptionist out of her trance.

"Of course." She quickly leaves the desk to go into the back nearly tripping up over her chair leg as she left.

"I am going to get sick of that stare shortly, at the moment it is amusing but it is quickly wearing thin." The two commandos laugh at that.

The door opened to their left and an Asari walked out. "Hello Hymara." She turns to the other two "Greetings, I am Doctor Thalmara. How can I help you all tonight?"

"It is good to meet you, my name is Sam. My friend had an intentional accident. Would you be willing to come and see her?" Sam hoping she didn't pry too much or outright say no.

"Where are you docked and what kind of injuries?"

"We are docked at two three one and burns."

"Anything else I should know?" damn, Sam thought to himself. she can see right through my head at what I am thinking.

"She is Asari. To make your life more difficult, it is her whole body but you might not be able to see it all."

"Its not Adastra is it?" Sam was wondering if it was because she had overheard it from Maritha.

"Yes. I need someone to have a look at her given the extensive nature of the problem. Hymara and Lianta will happily provide protection if you feel at all unsafe. I can guarantee if you are friendly and kind you will have no issues at all."

"Ok. Only because I like a challenge. I can leave now."

"Follow me." Hymara said.

It was a fairly short trip back to the Enlighten. The doctor seemed a little shocked at the amount of commandos onboard but said nothing following Sam and the two Asari into the lift.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra had not said a word since docking, the food seemed to go down ok though. Kate and Fosanta had found three largely undamaged chairs and a table with just a corner missing in all the scatted debris. Kate had just put her spork down as the lift opened and the four occupants walked out.

"Could you and Hymara stay at a respectful distance?" Sam asked Lianta the pair nodding.

"What happened here?" the doctor asking looking at the carnage fortunately saying it quietly.

"Do not ask. Wait here until I wave you over doctor." Thalmara nodded and Sam walked to where Adastra was sitting and crouched down next to her.

"Adastra, I hope you do not take this the wrong way but I have found someone who is willing to look at and give advice on your burns." Adastra turns her head to look at Sam and manages a small smile. Sam waves the doctor over.

"Adastra, This is Doctor Thalmara."

"It is a pleasure to meet you Adastra, even if it is under unfortunate circumstances." Sam thinking she certainly has the friendliness requirement. Adastra nods.

"Would you rather Thalmara had a look at your burns here or in a room Adastra?"

"Your room?" Adastra manages to weekly ask

"Sure." With that the three of them walk to Sam's room trailed by Lianta and Hymara who stayed outside the room as Adastra, Sam and Thalmara enter and lock the door for a bit of privacy. The three of them sat on the bed with Adastra in the middle.

"Adastra. You are free to show me as little or as much as you want of your burns. I need to see some though." Adastra gets her arms out of the sheet, one at a time. Thalmara taking a good look at each without ever touching. "Is it the same all over?" Adastra nods then looks at Sam.

"It is the same on her back too if that is helpful."

"It is Sam. It looks like you might be fine if you keep the skin extremely clean Adastra. It is going to hurt for a day to two though and the skin will be flaky and then look funny for a couple of weeks. I would recommend you wear something loose fitting for a while so there is a bit less irritation." Adastra nods.

"Will there be any scarring?"

"I do not expect there to be any as there is no real blistering." Adastra gave a small smile at that.

"That is much better news than I was expecting. I am sorry I dragged you away from the clinic this evening." Sam adding.

"I appreciate you coming Thalmara." Adastra manages to get out, sounding like she has been without sleep for a week.

"It is my pleasure to help such a unique individual." Adastra might have blushed at that comment but it was impossible to tell given the burns. "If either of you need me in the future you know where I am."

"Yes, Have a good evening Thalmara. I am sure Hymara will see you out." Sam added as he unlocked the door Thalmara nods again to Adastra and Sam before leaving. Sam closes the door again.

"Well she was a pleasant individual. I am going to grab something to eat. Are you going to grab a shower? There should be enough hot water left." Sam looking at one exhausted Asari who nods her head. With that Sam walks out and down the hallway back to Fosanta and Kate who were still at the seating.

"What is the news Sam?" Fosanta being quicker than Kate on the question draw.

"Thalmara did not think she would need to anything other than keep it clean. She also does not think it will leave any scarring." The pair look visibly relieved.

"I am glad to hear that news. That is your food Sam but it might be a bit cold." Kate pointing to the plate of mush.

"I am sure it will go down as I have not eaten anything for hours. Also I need to talk to Kriana tonight."

"I could talk to her for you if you wanted Sam?"

"That would be most helpful Fosanta. We could do with an electric heater for the hot water as its not fuel efficient to run the gas turbine constantly for hot water. It was only used previously as it was convenient. I am sure someone will have one on the citadel."

"I will ask her now." Fosanta gets up to leave.

"Thank you." Sam manages to get out in between mouthfuls of food.

"I think I might head to bed Sam, its been a long day, goodnight."

"Indeed it has. Goodnight Kate." Sam didn't take too long to finish the last of his food and was just walking to his room from putting his plate in the wash as Fosanta appeared from the lift and walked with Sam down the corridor.

"Kriana says she can get hold of an immersion heater for tomorrow lunch time."

"I appreciate the help Fosanta. I am going to get some sleep though now. I will see you in the morning."

"Me too. Goodnight Sam." With that the pair depart into their rooms. Sam could only smile and shake his head when he saw Adastra fast asleep in the bed. Sam carefully got into the other side of the bed and went to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**A bit of intrigue. What happened? What will the fallout be? Find out next week 10th March.**

**Yes the schedule will stay even though Mass Effect 3 will be released next week as release here is the 9th. Four days of reading no game related sites always makes it more annoying. Why global releases cannot be done I have no idea.  
><strong>

**Reviews or just adding the story to your watch/favourite list is all appreciated.**


	19. Chapter 19 : Same Old

**Chapter 19 - Same Old**

* * *

><p><strong>17th January 2017<strong>

"Councillor, we have received news that one of Adastra's security has been injured."

"Will there ever be a dull day with Adastra on the Citadel. I will go to see them this morning and find out what happened."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam had been awake for several minutes just looking at the back of Adastra's head, studying the purple marking on the tips of her folds, when she wakes and turns over giving Sam a smile.

"You are going to sleep in your own bed tonight." Sam saying in a joking manner.

"Do I snore or something?" Adastra wondering why Sam wanted to get rid of her out of his bed.

"No, it was a joke. Although unless you agree to keep to your own side and shower before bed you really are on your own tonight."

"I smell?" Sam just shakes his head.

"No your flaky blue skin will make me look like a glitter-ball." Adastra lifts up the sheets and looks down at the not insignificant amount of blue-grey skin flakes.

"Oh" Putting the sheet back down and smiling "I can do that."

"You seem much happier this morning." Sam noting that she is actually talking and smiling unlike yesterday evening.

"Apart from feeling like I am bruised all over I am. I do not blame you for not seeing me for a third time in engineering yesterday."

"It was difficult looking at you unhappy and in pain. I am still a little surprised you have not asked me about when I helped you out of the maintenance area yet." Sam trying not to give any hints as to what did happen.

"It is all a bit of a blur." Adastra pauses to think back. "I was... oh, promise not to tell anyone."

"I promise. You know I would not do anything like that though. We best be getting up as Kriana will have that heater for us to fit." Adastra shuffles over in the bed and gives Sam a hug her skin feeling noticeably rougher today. "If anyone asks why I have blue skin flakes on me you are doing the explaining." Adastra smiles and then shuffles back to her side. After a moments pause she gets out of the bed revealing her body, that looked like some sort of modern art.

"You could always have a shower?" She jokily says just before she closes the shower door.

"It is not worth looking like an ice cube." Sam shouts towards the shower, laughing to himself as he leaves the bed.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam and Adastra leave the room together and walk down the corridor towards the "seating" area.

"Morning everyone. Someone has been busy." Sam noting the lack of furniture and how much bigger the space looked now.

"Imphaya smashed everything that was not previously broken so it was just a case of putting it in one corner." Shiala pointing to the rear starboard side of the ship where there was a large stack of flat packed bits.

"I am sorry everyone about everything that happened yesterday, especially to yourself Imphaya. I did not intend there to be so much damage."

"I think everyone got your assignment choice wrong Adastra as you are a very different person than your profile suggested. After having the bit of stress relief this morning I sat down and thought about what happened. It is clear you did not want to deliberately harm Maritha but you were just overly frustrated. I have a friend who has just finished an assignment who I think you would get on with if you would be happy with keeping me."

"Imphaya, I would appreciate it if you did stay. What is her name?"

"Aumarva." A couple of the other commandos mutter something.

"I can see she will be a good choice." Sam adding with a smile.

"Sam, why do you have blue bits all over your face?" Emala being forever the innocent one.

"Adastra decided it would be fun to get rid of the flaky bits of skin in my bed." The mix of ewws, raised eyebrows and laughs was broken by the Councillor appearing from the lift.

"I have heard there was an incident last night. Anyone care to fill me in." _`Clearly no nonsense this morning, possibly lacking in caffeine`_, Sam thought to himself.

"Councillor, The top and bottom is Adastra got the wrong kind of person for her detail. That person treated Adastra differently to everyone else and got three broken ribs and a broken arm for the effort. Adastra got badly burnt." Shiala being spokesperson.

"At least Adastra got hurt this time."

"That is not very nice of you councillor." Shiala defending Adastra's corner. Imphaya cutting the councillor off before she can reply.

"Councillor, I have spoken to Maritha and she did not hit Adastra. Adastra burnt herself." The councillor seemed to have not have expected that revelation. "Adastra has agreed to have Maritha replaced with a friend of mine, if that would be ok."

"You will have to come with me to sort the paperwork out for that Imphaya." She nods. "Adastra you are to remain on the ship until Imphaya returns."

"Not this again. This is what started this whole problem. Salayla will you look after Adastra until Imphaya returns?" Fosanta thinking no one ever seems to learn. Salayla nods the two looking at the councillor.

"I give in." The councillor not understanding why everyone is trying to help Adastra. She leaves and Imphaya just about manages to get into the lift before the doors close.

"Right, breakfast." Sam says getting up.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam had brought Adastra something to eat too and the pair had not long sat back down after clearing away their plates when Kriana got a message.

"There is a package upstairs for you Sam." He nods before looking towards Kate and Fosanta

"Would you like to help us Fosanta, Kate?"

"Sure Sam, I am bored here." Kate talking whilst Fosanta thinking action might be just as appropriate got up and stood with Sam and Adastra by the lift. Kate quickly joined them and they all went up in the lift.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"This is going to be fun as Turian and Asari electrical designs are different, although it does look like a new part." Adastra said carefully looking at the label on the moderately sized box.

"It is an immersion heater though?" Sam not able to read the label as its in Turian.

"I did say to Kriana an immersion heater." With that news from Fosanta Sam lifts the surprisingly heavy box and walks to the lift annoying Adastra slightly as she was still studying the label.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate and Fosanta seemed to work well as a team getting the heater in as Adastra and Sam brought power from a nearby junction box. It only took them twenty minutes to safely fit everything and watch the heater do not much.

"When you said about the power differences, by how much are we talking?" Kate noting the lack of a temperature increase yet after looking at the temperature readout for ten minutes. Adastra picks up the box to read the label again before throwing it back on the floor.

"Well this is meant to be a thirty kilowatt heater, usually used in shuttles for hot water and heating. I reckon we will be getting about seven kilowatts out of it." Adastra added staring through the hole in the top of the tank with a torch.

"Great, so its going to take all day to heat this tank." Sam added disappointed in that fact he will not getting a shower till later.

"A watched pot never boils, lets head back up."

"In this case Kate I doubt it will ever boil anyway, but I get the point." Sam walking away from the tank towards the lift. "Adastra. If I get blue flakes coming out of my shower I will not be happy." Adastra looks up after having her head over the tank and smiles before joining them.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The four head out of the lift to see a new face on the deck.

"I was about to send someone down to see if you needed saving." Shiala having a bit of a joke, must be a really boring day. The new Asari, obviously a commando given the weaponry and clothing walks towards them.

"Greetings Adastra, I am Aumarva." Adastra bowed her head, Sam was starting to twig now that must be the equivalent of a handshake. "Do you mind if I ask a few questions. I am sorry to be inquisitive but I have not seen a file on you." Kate and Fosanta go and sit down on the floor.

"Sure Aumarva." Adastra giving a slight smile, glad that unlike Maritha she is talking and seems interested.

"I have heard rumours about you, are they true?" 'Straight to the point' Sam thought.

"If you mean the no one remembering and the person disappearing ones then yes." Aumarva didn't seem too phased by that response.

"So why did Maritha get the display as she categorically denied seeing your body?" Sam sighs.

"It is good to meet you Aumarva, I am Sam. The problems occur when Adastra is treated differently because of who she is or feels threatened. The body falls into the latter, Maritha fell down on the former." Sam trying to solve all the problems before they could happen. Adastra nodding in agreement to what he said.

"That makes sense now, Thank you Sam." Sam bowed his head slightly. "I have one more question. Do you two trust each other?"

"Yes." Adastra and Sam say almost at the same time. Aumarva just smiles as Sam and Adastra look at each other and laugh.

"Is there an empty space on this ship we could go to?" Aumarva being a little cryptic.

"There is a space where four shuttles used to be on deck three if that would be big enough?" Adastra couldn't think of a larger area.

"That will do." Aumarva removes her pistol and assault rifle and leaves them by the wall. "If anyone so much as touches these you will be sorry." She shouts to the rest of the room, most of whom nod. "Lets go." The three of them get in the lift.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am confused. Why would you want to take us to a large empty space?" Sam confused as hell.

"You will see shortly. You will probably be pleasantly surprised."

"You are not exactly making me feel comfortable." Adastra added.

"You must trust that I will not harm you. I did leave my weapons behind to help." With that the lift doors open on to an large open area with a flat floor and no obstructions. The three of them walk to the middle of the empty space.

"Sam if you could stand behind Adastra but where you can see me clearly that would be great. Adastra can you stand opposite me." The two do as they were told wondering what the hell was going to happen.

"Adastra, using biotics try and hit me." Adastra looked shocked at that.

"I cannot do that Aumarva as I may hurt you." Adastra getting a little flustered.

"Adastra, I will be fine. You are free to keep it weak if you wish to start."

"Adastra, I would be impressed you could if she is that confident." Adastra sighs and releases a weak biotic throw straight at Aumarva. It seems to gain a slight bend about half way though its flight path and it ends up travelling past her to her right. Sam getting a grin on his face as he can see the energy turning behind her.

"I said." Aumarva says in a slightly mocking manner just before the energy hits her back and she hits the deck face first. Adastra and Sam jog over, Sam giving Aumarva a hand up.

"I hope I did not hurt you." Adastra looking a little upset with herself.

"I am fine Adastra. I had a chat to Maritha and she said she could not hit you. That is what made me realise what might have happened and I wished to find out for myself."

"Aumarva, I have been messing with people for decades with that. It takes a lot of strength out of you though."

"If you practice it enough it is not too bad." Aumarva still trying to shake off the impact.

"Sam, I hope that you tell no one about what has and is about to happen." Sam nods and Adastra turns to Aumarva, "Aumarva, try and hit me with the hardest throw you can give." With that she starts walking back to where she was before. Sam jogged to catch up.

"I hope you know what you are doing." He did not seem entirely happy about this but trusted her judgement.

"It was this skill that caused last nights accident. I will explain it entirely soon, as I am sure you will have a number of questions. Just let me show you this before you ask anything."

"I will do my best Adastra." Adastra checks to see where Sam is stood and then nods. Aumarva glows blue and a biotic throw not much stronger than Adastra's previous is sent straight towards Adastra. Sam could feel time start to slow and all he could see was Adastra stood there with a weak blue glow around her. To Sam's surprise the single throw seemed to divide into eight smaller parts, pairs of which pealed off and slammed into each other neutralising the energy and creating a loud explosion. The last two did not curl around and hit each other like the previous three pairs, instead they just seemed to run out of energy and die just before they hit Adastra.

"That was highly impressive, I can barely manage a four way split." Aumarva seriously shocked. Adastra staggered a little as she tried to regain her balance as the blue glow dissipated.

"I do not have a yardstick to know how impressive it was but it looked a suitable candidate for impressive status." Sam with a grin on his face as he walked to Adastra.

"It is just the amount of calculations and how quickly you can swap between controlling fields that limits what you can do. Although that throw was weak. Was that really all you can give Aumarva or did you chicken out on me?"

"That was the best I could do Adastra. I have certain restrictions placed upon me in Council space and certain locations outside of as well. All this was after I thought it would be fun one evening to chase people through the streets with biotics on Thessia. Since then I have been arrested many times for flouting my restrictions usually for failing to adhere to the time limitations." Adastra looked worried at this news.

"What kind of restrictions are we talking about?" With that Aumarva reaches around the back of her collar and pulls out a black device that looks like two flexible, 15mm diameter, interconnected tubes. Each tube sitting either side of the spine and going the full length between the bottom of the neck and the base of the spine.

"This, Adastra" Aumarva holds it up "makes my biotics unstable enough so what you saw before was the absolute limit of what I can do. It is also impossible to learn your way around it as it is a passive device, the stronger you get the stronger it gets, it also cannot be confused unlike some active devices."

"How do you get arrested for flouting the restrictions if you need to essentially have it on you all the time?"

"That is easy Sam. You need to use a holder if you do not have a sleeve in your clothing or your clothing is not tight enough. It is therefore easy to accidently leave it in one set of clothes or in the holder when changing."

"Right. I have another question. Is this biotic manipulation not common amongst the Asari then?" Sam trying to sate his curiosity in one go since Aumarva seems to be a bit of a chatterbox.

"It is theoretically about thirty percent of the population that can split and control multiple fields."

"You say it as if you do not believe that is correct Aumarva."

"I must explain everything for it to make sense Sam." He gestures Aumarva to continue. "While most biotics can put a single simple bend into a field as I did it is in my experience only a minor few who can split and control multiple fields."

"I am guessing there is a reason why there is such a difference between theory and the real world?"

"There is but it is highly controversial amongst the Asari. Convention says we gain nothing from the father species and yet there is a weak correlation between this ability and having a Salarian father. People have argued that sample sizes are too small or the selection process was not random enough. The data seems to always have this slight bias however the sample is chosen so the data gets buried."

"So they do not believe you get anything from the father at all?"

"Well we do not take any of the fathers genetic material when reproducing so it seems logical to conclude that. Although it could be something which triggers a certain random mutation more often with a Salarian partner."

"That makes sense but you have not explained the disparity."

"I apologise. Of the theoretical thirty percent, twenty seven use pulses instead of a steady charge for their biotics. This pulsing can be divided up across multiple fields hence the control. The remaining three percent are standard biotics such as myself. Usually however people who can control fields are naturally weak biotics so they feel training is pointless and hence do not bother. This coupled with the fact that the skill needs to be learnt before the individual is twenty, or so, means amongst people who use biotics regularly this group is woefully under-represented."

"Right so over a quarter of individuals could do this but since they do not consider it either worth it or do not learn about it young enough it is not that common?"

"Yes Sam. It is possible for individuals to learn it later in life but it takes tens of years of constant daily practice to pick it up. Since most have a job they do not have the time to put in this much effort. The later it is left the harder it is to pick it up."

"Thank you Aumarva for explaining it." She nods.

"I need to thank you Adastra for trusting me, Sam just keep this quiet it can unnerve people a little, especially commandos." Aumarva starts threading the device back into the sleeve in her commando outfit.

"I understand. Is that why there were murmurings when your name was mentioned by Imphaya?".

"Probably as they no doubt know about my Thessia incident, although I doubt they know of the restrictions. I have tried to keep it quiet in the commando circles for obvious reasons." Sam nods.

"I hope that I do not get one of those after last night."

"I doubt it Adastra as it was self defence. We best be getting back." With that the three of them walk to the lift and head back up.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kriana was just about to walk out of the ship when three figures caught her eye on the camera monitor. The resulting display shocked all three of them. It was a pity the recording system was not working for playback and evidence purposes.

"I did not expect quite that much control." Shiala confirming her assumption from the incident with Sam that she might have some biotic control.

"How come we are not told that is possible?" Emala still looking at the screen to see if they will see any more.

"You are taught how fields interact in school Emala, it is just people who cannot learn the skill do not usually put two and two together." Shiala seemingly having a little experience of this.

"We could do with informing the Councillor at least about this." Kriana noted as she sent a message to the C-Sec officers on the lower deck that they wish to leave.

"Kriana, has she ever hurt you or attempted to? I do not mean the first morning after Sam boarded either as that was you threatening her."

"No but she hurt Maritha and that explains how, sorry Shiala." With that the C-Sec officers appear and they all leave the Enlighten.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam, Aumarva and Adastra walk out of the lift to only find Kate, Fosanta and the seven other commandos sitting down.

"Kriana left with Emala and Shiala. I do not know where they went to." Kate updating the three of them as to what had happened whilst playing on the shuttle deck. Aumarva carefully eyed up where her guns were before picking them up from exactly where she had left them.

"You look a little tired Adastra?"

"I am fine Fosanta. I just need a quiet afternoon." Fosanta was getting a little suspicious at that response but decided it would be best not to push.

"Could that quiet afternoon include a chat?" Sam wanting to get to the bottom of what has happened.

"Of course Sam." Sam and Adastra walk down the corridor to Adastra's room.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am sorry for wanting to talk now but that display left me with a number of questions."

"I said it might. What would you like to know Sam?"

"I know I asked Aumarva but where would you see these individuals?"

"Most people who are biotically strong and have pulsed biotics become commandos for obvious reasons. I heard somewhere that about five percent of commandos can manipulate multiple fields."

"So why did you not become a commando?"

"I went to the academy for two weeks before I "voluntarily" got booted out. The insults and derogatory comments from the instructors and other recruits got to the point where it was unbearable. When someone caught sight of my markings and unceremoniously got their memory wiped for the privilege of calling me a freak, I got called to the office and got told to either walk out or be thrown out."

"So what did you do after that?"

"I went to the University of Serrice to take advanced flight control. That was a much more friendly environment in which I did well. I did find the lack of biotics classes a bit annoying though so I spent many an evening on my own just messing around with biotics."

"Did you get this job through the university then since they helped fund the project?"

"Yes. They were basically looking for a good pilot who people would not mind disappearing for five years. Which does sound a little mean but I had little else to do so I accepted."

"So how did you get those burns last night, other than the obvious?"

"I suddenly realised after Maritha's accident, that it should be possible to control a plasma stream given that it can be affected by a field. I went down to engineering to have a play with a spare plasma injector used for the fusion core. I failed to calculate correctly how unstable the flow was given my exhaustion from the effort of the previous confrontation and accidently directed the jet at myself, setting my clothes on fire. The rest you know."

"So from that accident what did you learn?" Sam hoping she learnt to keep herself safe.

"That I was right?" Sam shakes his head "I know what you were thinking it looked like last night, that would be why I was so upset. I felt ashamed for putting myself before anyone else."

"And today's stunt?"

"I knew I could manage that as that was I did last night with Maritha. Aumarva forced my hand to showing you which I would have had to have done soon anyway."

"I appreciate it but can you at least have someone else to keep an eye on you in the future when trying something new?"

"I have you after showing you now."

"I feel a bit happier now about all this. How about we go to that restaurant?"

"Good idea." Both of them walk out of the room and back down the hallway to commando central.

"Is anyone not happy about us getting some food." Sam eyeing up each commando in turn and seeing no sign of anyone saying yes.

"I talked this over with everyone while you were gone earlier and Fosanta made a reservation at that restaurant. I thought it might be good." Kate looking forward to something decent to eat.

"They were a little nervous at allowing eight commandos in but they relented when I said the two humans are in the group."

"Thank you both of you. I was looking forward to seeing their reaction when we rolled up unannounced though, ahh well." Adastra looking a little disappointed and tired but sill smiling.

"When do we have to leave?" Sam asking the most important question of the evening.

"Well, we could leave now and take it easy getting there." Sam and Adastra strolled towards the lift forcing Fosanta and Kate with their security to wait for it to reappear.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

There was a mass of journalists waiting as the twelve of them exited the Enlighten all seemingly more interested in Adastra and not Kate and Sam. Sam decided to switch to English so he did not help the reporters who were following.

"Are they going to follow us everywhere?"

"I doubt it Sam especially as I doubt they will know where we are going."

"I am not so sure about that Adastra." Fosanta looking at her omni-tool.

"What's wrong?"

"It seems that our reservation has been amended for a guest Kate."

"Can you tell who added themselves?"

"No Adastra, they only left `I already knew` as their name." With that Adastra smiles seemingly knowing who it may be.

"Do you want to tell us or should I just wait and see"

"You already know Sam." Sam raised his eyebrows trying to think who it could be as they all piled into a lift to go to the Presidium.

"Can you not just tell us?"

"No Kate, that would spoil any chance of a surprise." Adastra still got the smile on her face as the lift progressed slowly.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**Slightly late update, blame ME3 for taking the time up lately. I am sure you can guess who the additional guest will be in the next chapter so it is not really a cliff-hanger. It is an interesting chapter non-the-less which you can read on the 17th March.**

**I assume some of you may have a couple of problems with me rewriting biotics a little. Changes have been made between ME1 and ME3 some of which make little sense unlike my addition of splitting and controlling several fields so I think it is plausible. I also think a spine length external amplifier/limiter is much more practical than tiny bio-amp implants. These two topics will get expanded upon over the next few chapters but if you have any questions or input I would like to hear it.**

**Thank you all the regulars for continuing to read and to all the new readers for picking this story up.**


	20. Chapter 20 : Limited

**Chapter 20 - Limited**

* * *

><p>The lift doors open onto the Presidium and they walk out to see the trees and the lake beyond. The artificial sky above just starting to dim as if the sun was just starting to get lower in the sky.<p>

"This is, I never expected something like this."

"I guessed there might be something surprising hidden here but I agree with you Kate, nothing quite as elaborate as this."

There was a large number of people who just stood to one side and gawped as the group walked past as if they were some kind of big deal. The commandos helped the image immensely keeping the odd reporter away from them. It was not too far to the restaurant after a lengthy lift journey. The entrance hall to the restaurant seemed rather elaborate with what looked like marble flooring and small potted trees breaking up the red and blue walls with a touch of green.

"Welcome to The Balcony. Your guest has already arrived, follow me." The greeter announced as they approached, the eight commandos probably giving away who they were. They made their way through the restaurant and around a corner they saw the view out over the four arms of the Citadel and able to see the ships coming in to dock. The area they were in was slightly more private than the rest of the restaurant and in the middle of the space was a large square table with enough seats for fourteen and Sha'ira already sat down.

"It is good to see you all. I hope I have not intruded on your evening out. Please take seats."

With that they all sat down, the commandos favouring the entrance side of the table, Kate and Fosanta choosing to sit opposite Sha'ira, Adastra next to her and Sam next to Adastra and Imphaya. The spare seat being on the opposite side of Sha'ira to Adastra.

"I have heard you may be going to Thessia tomorrow." Sha'ira starting as she means to go on it seems.

"How do you manage to find this out before we do?"

"Fosanta. Information from the top does not always get to the bottom." Fosanta just nods at that as the waitress comes to take their order.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sha'ira leans over and whispers to Adastra, "There will be an acolyte making an appearance tonight. Her name is Talima, I fear you may be in need of the help." With those words she stands up and announces to the group "I am sorry to have to leave before you all finish but I have some things to attend to. The meal and drinks are on me, a parting gift if you will. Be well everyone."

"What did she say Adastra?" Kate getting a good view of the whispering.

"That we will have another visitor this evening."

"That it?" Fosanta not believing it was that simple.

"If you ever get Sha'ira's help it will always be in cryptic messages. Yes that was it." Adastra failing to add that it was that she had somehow stuck her foot in it again.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The simulated sky was in dusk mode as they all made their way back to the Enlighten. There are far fewer people milling around since most places closed over half an hour ago. There were also surprisingly few journalists for the commandos to worry about and the ones that were around were much less invasive.

It did not take too long for them to get back to the Enlighten including the short wait for the mass transit.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

A seemingly happy Asari walked out of the lift carrying a large box which she carefully places on the floor before speaking. "It is a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Talima and I believe that you were expecting me."

"We knew to expect someone. My name is Fosanta. I still do not know why you are here though?"

"I have been told to talk to Adastra and then make myself available to anyone else."

"Hello, I am Sam. What is in the box?"

"I cannot say unless the circumstances change."

"I am Kate. Do you all speak in cryptic messages?"

"Not usually. I am in this instance limited in what I can say. Sorry Kate." Talima turns to Adastra "Do you have somewhere private we can talk?" Adastra nods and the two of them walk to her room and lock the door.

"I really hope Adastra is not in trouble again." Sam musing as he sits back down on the floor.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Again, it is good to meet you Adastra. I have been updated on everything that has happened so feel free to ask questions."

"Why are you here?"

"That should have been obvious from the clues but I see you do not quite understand. Someone saw your antics in the shuttle bay earlier today."

"How did they... Oh." Realisation dawns on Adastra that there was one working camera left in the shuttle bay after the core discharge. "How bad is this?"

"Well your prior reputation plus this revelation and Maritha's story from last night has forced a few peoples hands unfortunately. People are frightened as you are an unknown quantity, Sha'ira has done her best to argue your side but they were unwavering."

"So what are the consequences?"

"You are back on the dangerous list. I know it is not your fault and I am truly sorry for having to deliver this information." Adastra in frustration puts her head in her hands, trying hard not to do anything to the messenger. "Would you like someone to be here with you?"

"I could do with Sam being here." Talima nods and walks out of the room and down the hall way.

"Sam, Could you follow me please." Sam looked a bit puzzled but nodded and the pair went back to Adastra's room.

"What has happened?" Sam seeing Adastra in a bit of a state on the side of the bed and puts an arm around her.

"Someone saw what happened in the shuttle bay this afternoon and it has forced someone to put me back on the dangerous list." Adastra explaining what happened in a succinct manner.

"You were already on that list before Adastra so really it does not make any difference."

"Unfortunately Sam, it does."

"You are not exactly good at bad news delivery Talima"

"I do not wish to be harmed by you hence why I am being cautious, I am only the messenger."

"Just tell us why it makes a difference?" Adastra getting Talima back on track.

"Well new people on the dangerous list with your biotic ability are given active restrictions. Only if you were given restrictions before the rule change nineteen years ago are you allowed a passive limiter such as what Aumarva has."

"So the difference is that she has to have a limiter?"

"As I said Sam the law says new applicants to the list with proven strong biotics are given active limiters which prevent the individual from melding with others."

"Any good news at all Talima?" Sam trying to make a joke to make himself happier as Adastra sits there silently fuming.

"That would be why I am here delivering the news and not some people from C-Sec. The new active devices have to be custom made unlike the designs of old. Sha'ira managed to make the Armali council the manufacturer of your device. After a few deals she has managed to produce a specification which is massively in your favour. The device will be a mixed design which acts as a passive limiter under certain circumstances and an active amplifier under others."

"Wait. I am guessing but does a passive limiter allow Adastra to meld?"

"Yes Sam as passive systems are very basic and therefore cannot be programmed to react to a meld."

"Do I get to have a say in the design?" Adastra wondering if she has any say in this or whether it is a done deal.

"When you arrive on Thessia you will be taken to the main biotics facility for the Armali council. There they will tweak the design to suit you as long as the strength of the passive limiter is not altered, and then commence manufacture."

"Did you not say everyone had to have an active limiter."

"Yes Sam, but since Adastra has been on the list before for a long time it was accepted that she could have a passive limiter instead."

"What do you think Adastra, I personally see it as a good compromise given the situation but it is not me who has to wear it."

"I am not pleased about this but as long as I can tweak the design I think I can live with it. So why did you bring the box Talima."

"The Armali Council wished to send a selection of holders for you to find the one you are most comfortable with. As they did not wish to force you to try them on at their facility. The provided samples can be adjusted in size and colour if you wish when you get to Thessia."

"If this is not going to start being made until we get to Thessia what is happening between now and when I get it."

"You will not be limited but any biotics at any time from now are forbidden and will cause this agreement to fall through." Adastra gives a sign of resignation.

"I must thank you and the Consort for this help." She does not sound all that thankful but that is to be expected.

"I appreciate you not hurting me even though I could understand the temptation. I will pass the message on to the Consort. Just before we leave I have been told I have to tell you that everyone on-board will get told tomorrow about this."

"We should get something to drink Adastra. I can help you with trying on the holders later if you want me to." Adastra nods trying to put a smile on her face for the rest of the crew. With that the three of them leave.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Every time the Consort or one of her acolytes appear you always seem to take ages talking to them." Kate wondering just exactly what is happening as Sam goes to the kitchen area which has seen better days to get a couple of drinks.

"Kate, If you need someone to talk to, or anything else, I have some spare time." Talima smiling at Kate which seemed to have the opposite of a comforting effect.

"No, no I am ok. Thank you."

"If no one needs anything from me then I must unfortunately leave. I wish you all well." With that she enters the lift and leaves. Sam sits down beside Adastra and hands her a cup.

"What was in the box Sam?"

"You will find out tomorrow Fosanta."

"Is everything alright?"

"I would appreciate it if we could talk about something else until tomorrow as I am very limited in what I can say, sorry about that Kate." Sam frustrated at not being able to say anything to alleviate the worry that is hanging in the air like an acrid smell. The lift opens and out come the nine occupants. Adastra puts her cup on the floor and walks over to Kriana, taking her arm and dragging her into the lift.

"Adastra, What are you doing?" The C-Sec officers start to try and help Kriana before Shiala pulls them away.

"She will be fine as long as she does not do anything stupid." She turns to Sam, "Go with her." The lift doors close just after Sam had made it into the lift.

"If she gets injured then it is your fault." Roskan not impressed by the stunt.

"I actually think she deserves it as I told her not to." That raised a few eyebrows around the room.

"She is only doing her best to help everyone."

"No Emala she is helping herself become popular before she becomes a matriarch. She has done nothing to help Adastra on this mission."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Where are we going?" Kriana a little worried under the stare of Adastra and Sam.

"I bet you can guess and you know what this is about." The lift doors open before Kriana thinks of what to say, getting dragged out of the lift to the middle of the shuttle bay.

"Sam can you climb up that pipe work and rip the cable out of that camera." Sam nods and climbs up. The cable didn't last long with his full body weight on it. He just about retained his footing as the cable gave way and climbed back down. "I bet you can guess why I did that."

"You know I had to tell them."

"You did not have to say anything Kriana. I am now going to have a restriction on my biotic abilities and I am now back on the dangerous list. That is worse than when I got here. I was doing well with Sam and Sha'ira's help to get my life back to normal, then you come along and screw it up again."

"I had to..."

"I do not think you are quite getting what Adastra is saying. I will make it clearer for you. Treat the people you are closest to well and they will happily help you. We were willing to give you a second chance after the morning you tried to attack us and you have just used it doing something equally as stupid. I personally do not think it is fair you can mess with someone's life negatively for the next few hundred years and you get away with nothing." Sam turns away from Kriana to look at Adastra. "The best I could do is a few broken bones."

"I cannot use biotics and I was never good in hand to hand combat. I also need her to remember everything." Sam turns back to Kriana.

"You have ruined someone with good personality and great potential." Sam turns back to Adastra "I have had an idea lets just lock her down here till tomorrow."

"You cannot do that I have a meeting tomorrow with the Councillor."

"You will just have to say you cannot make it." Sam added motioning to Adastra to head to the lift.

"I will do anything."

"Funny that you will when it is in your interest to. If you can remove the passive limiter from Adastra's restriction plans and you can confirm it, give us a message and we will let you out." Sam and Adastra reach the lift and the doors open.

"You know I cannot do that." Sam and Adastra step into the awaiting lift.

"You have four hours, I really hope you will learn something from today." Sam shouting out just before the doors close.

"Can you modify the lift so that it does not stop at this floor?"

"Yes the lift is designed not to stop at this floor if it has no atmosphere. So..." Adastra carefully removes the control panel cover and changes a setting before putting it back. "There it thinks there is no atmosphere now."

"Good."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"What is all this about Shiala?"

"Sam or Adastra have not told you Kate?"

"Sam said we would find out tomorrow. I get the feeling that this is a big problem though"

"All I am going to say in that case is Kriana messed up. I do not wish to provide specifics as it is not something to be proud of. Also Emala, if you say so much as a word about this you will be in the same position." The C-Sec officers seem to get a bit edgy at this clear threat.

"I hope we do not have any more problems." Fosanta sounding as if this was an hourly problem.

Quietness descended on the group until the lift reopened and out walked Sam and Adastra The pair of them sitting back down next to their drinks.

"Where is Kriana?"

"Busy Emala." Sam giving nothing away.

"Doing what?"

"Work, she has three hours and fifty minutes left before we undock this ship." Sam answered as Adastra looked at each of them with a deadly serious expression on her face. "She has not been touched given that we could not after all the restrictions we have to stick too now."

Everyone had the urge to ask the one burning question but no one had the guts to. Over the next two hours all that was discussed was that they would be unable to leave without letting the C-Sec officers off to which they were given the option to leave before they did or get taken to Thessia.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Aumarva can you come with me and Sam please." Adastra noting that two hours had elapsed and thought it could be a good time to provide an incentive. Aumarva nods and gets up with Sam and Adastra and the three of them head into the lift.

"Do not tell anyone how to get down here ok Aumarva?" Adastra added as she removed the panel and temporarily allowed the lift to stop at the shuttle deck.

"You can trust me, Why did you want me anyway?"

"I will give you a quick version Aumarva, Kriana watched this afternoons display on the shuttle deck and reported it. They then put Adastra back on the dangerous list and have put into motion plans to give her biotic restrictions." Adastra closes the panel before turning to Aumarva.

"I thought you could show her how much of an impact they have."

"I can do that." The doors open and Kriana drops backwards into the lift her back was evidently against the lift doors. Sam and Adastra drag her back into the bay.

"How are you going Kriana, This is your two hour check-up." Sam added letting go of her arm.

"I am getting nowhere, I am sorry."

"Unfortunately Kriana its either you manage to do it and we will be on the Citadel tomorrow morning, or you will not and you will stay down here until we arrive on Thessia."

"I have brought Aumarva down here to show you what you have done."

"You have a biotic limiter?" Kriana clearly not expecting a commando to be limited.

"Yes, it has been an inconvenience for decades. Adastra wanted me to show you how limiting it is." Aumarva glowed blue and sent a weak sky blue push towards the rear wall bending it slightly in the process. "That is my limit with the limiter in place." She reached around the back of her neck and pulled out the device again putting it carefully on the ground. Aumarva settled herself and sent a dark blue push towards the wall, before it hit she split it into four and sent two left and two right, each of which she crashed into each other with a resonating bang. "That is at least what I can capable of without."

"I am sure if you saw us this afternoon you saw Adastra split that biotic field into eight, not four as Aumarva has just done. Are you getting the idea now?" Sam clearly getting into this a little too much.

Kriana's Omni-tool beeps and she quickly reads the message her body slumping as she reads the message. She looks up at the three standing over her. "They will not change the clauses under any circumstances as they think she has already got too many concessions."

"Sorry Kriana but we are leaving the Citadel now." Adastra then walks towards the lift, Sam and Aumarva following closely behind. Kriana could just watch on as the doors closed.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The lift doors open and Adastra seems to be on a mission. "Everyone from C-Sec we have appreciated your security but we are to travel immediately. You have ten minutes to leave. Fosanta and Shiala I would like you both to come with me."

"We are only allowed to leave if Kriana says so." Roskan stating as if he isn't going anywhere

"Fair enough. I hope you enjoy your trip to Thessia." Adastra gets back in the lift with Fosanta and Shiala.

"She is not serious is she?" Talmira speaking up.

"Yes, This ship will leave when she says it will. Especially since she is the only one who can really fly it. I would advise you to get off to save yourselves a trip back to the Citadel." Sam sitting down next to Kate.

"Could you just tell me what is happening?"

"It is simple Kate. Do you remember the morning after we boarded when I was in her room having a talk and Kriana was about to attack us?"

"Yes but what has that got to do with this?"

"Well this time she did attack Adastra but by using the legal system instead. We have tried to give her time to fix her mistake but its unfixable. So she had a meeting tomorrow morning on the Citadel so we are moving to Thessia now."

"A little childish is it not?"

"Not really as this is going to impact Adastra for decades. What is a meeting, half an hour to reschedule?"

"Right, I see your point."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"So why are we going to Thessia now?" Fosanta trying to get an idea as to what is happening

"That is where Kriana does not want us to be at the moment. I do hope C-Sec leave so it makes this simple."

"Kriana did her usual doing without thinking and for once it is going to cost her as well as everyone else this time." Shiala trying to explain.

"I still do not get it."

"I will tell everyone on-board once we have left if C-Sec do not stick around."

"Ok." The lift opens and out walk the six C-Sec officers.

"Citadel control this is the ASL Enlighten requesting immediate clearance for departure." The six officers quickly head to the airlock upon hearing this request.

"ASL Enlighten you are clear for immediate departure, Citadel control out."

"Great the C-Sec crew are holding us up now." Adastra taps on the console waiting for the outer door open alert to go off. As soon as it does she issues the command to the docking walkway to move away and the clamps to release. With a cautious turn Adastra turns on the main plasma thruster and they quickly speed out of the Citadel.

It did not take long after the Citadel traffic thinned for Adastra to plot a course to Thessia and set autopilot.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Everyone except Kriana had gathered on the floor to hear Adastra's brief story.

"This afternoon when Aumarva boarded I disappeared for a time with her and Sam to the shuttle deck. Aumarva had worked out from Maritha's story that I can control biotic fields and decided to see how well. Her face still remembers the answer." Aumarva smiles as the other commandos seemed a little uncomfortable. "Well Kriana saw the display on the ships camera system and told the authorities. They then upgraded me back onto the dangerous list and have started action for biotic limitation. If only she had thought to keep her mouth closed."

"What was in the box Talima brought?" Fosanta was fixated by that box for some reason.

"Sample holders for the limiting device I am to have made during our visit to Thessia."

"What does the limiter do?" Kate evidently not up to speed on this.

"It artificially limits how powerful or how well someone's biotics can be controlled. Active devices can also prevent the individual from initiating a meld with others. I could show you mine if you wait a bit Kate?"

"Why not now?"

"My device allows me to have it removed four times a day for up to fifteen minutes at a time. After a removal I must wait at least thirty minutes before the next removal. My last was only twenty five minutes ago and the next will be my last of the day and I would like a shower."

"How did you get your limiter Aumarva?" Selayla speaking up.

"An inappropriate biotic display well over a hundred years ago which could have injured many people."

"I think since we are no longer at the Citadel and everyone knows, Kriana can be let out." Shiala having a point, Adastra nods. Sam and Adastra then heading back down to deck three in the lift, permanently fixing the lift as they do.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Kriana we are no longer on the Citadel but you can come back up now. We are not cold enough to not let you have a bed for the night." Sam looking at Kriana who was in thought. After a few seconds she lifted her head, showing no tears but a pained expression gave everything away.

"I did not listen to either you or Shiala because there would be no consequences for me taking action, or if there were someone would stop me. I may never be able to make up for this mistake but I hope I may be able to make an appreciable effort towards that goal in the future."

"Anything you can do to help for now will be appreciated as everything seems to be going in the wrong direction." Sam saying everything as Adastra looks drained. "Are you going to come back up?" Kriana stands up and joins the two in the lift.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Kate you said you would like to see the device?" Aumarva noting the thirty minutes have elapsed. Kate nodded. The rest of the commandos seemed to suddenly become interested. "Follow me." The interest suddenly waned as they knew they would not get to see it. The pair walk into the fourth room on the right. Seemingly a room Aumarva has claimed for herself. Aumarva reaches behind her neck and pulls out the device yet again. Kate looking a little shocked at it being nothing like what she expected.

"I expected something smaller, is it not uncomfortable?"

"Not really as the spine fits in between the two tubes. It is a little difficult to hide though. It is fairly flexible at least so it does not restrict movement excessively. I must go for a shower now though as the time is running out." The two leave the room with Aumarva locking the door before walking to a shower. She did not want anyone seeing the device that she had left in the room.

Adastra, Sam and Kriana exited to see Kate just sitting down. Emala jumped up to greet Kriana as if she had been gone for a week.

"We are going to head to bed. Tomorrow we should be on Thessia." Sam saying with a careful arm around Adastra.

"I should be going too as I will be up early to make sure the automatic docking goes ok." Fosanta knowing Adastra will not be keen to get up early and given the state of the ship it would be unwise to leave it to dock itself.

"I need to have an early night too." Kate added. After the four had said goodnight to everyone they all walked down the corridor together. On the way to Sam's room Adastra goes into her room and picks up the box she got from Talima taking it to Sam's room looking the door behind her.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra put the box on the desk and looked at it as if it would suddenly start walking if she didn't. "You can open it now if you want. I think trying them on after a shower whether tonight or tomorrow morning would be an idea."

"It is just what it represents that actually makes me scared."

"I am sorry to have to say this but you do not have a choice Adastra. Do you want me to open the box?"

"No I think I can manage that. I will look at them first and then have a shower."

"Should I have a shower first then?" Adastra nods as Sam grabs a towel and heads in to the shower. Adastra rips the tape from the box and opens it up to reveal four holders. It did not take long for her to discard three of the four due to either the material or the design not meeting her approval. The one left, sample number three, was the most odd of the four but took Adastra's fancy. Sam had by this time finished in the shower and walked out to see Adastra holding up this design.

"How does that even work? It also looks too small." Sam puzzled at the design.

"I am guessing my legs go through these bottom two straps which loop around, then the rest around the body except the top two which my arms go through. According to the label on the packet it came in it is my size." Sam just laughs to himself mostly.

"I bet that is the most complicated and most difficult one to put on and take off in that box."

"Well to be fair given the material is waterproof I should not have to remove it too often, unlike some of the others. I also think the design is more me." Sam just shakes his head.

"You should get a shower as you seem keen, which is a bit of a difference from twenty minutes ago." Adastra carefully places the chosen one on the top of the box and goes in to the shower. Sam just sat on the bed wondering if he would ever quite understand Adastra's oddities. The door of the shower woke him out of his thoughts as he looked over.

"Well you look much less purple now than you did this morning, is the pain any better?"

"Yes its certainly better, it will probably be nearly gone by tomorrow evening." Adastra picking up the holder off the top of the box.

"Good, I am guessing you might need a hand getting into that." Adastra just nods and Sam walks over.

After several failed attempts Sam looks in the box at the ones Adastra had discarded. "All of these look easier to get on, to be fair I do see why you chose the one you did." Sam looks a little longer at the one Adastra is holding. "Hold on, I think the design might rely on your flexibility as well as its." Adastra looked puzzled for a moment and then got the same idea as Sam.

"Bend it in the middle and put the bottom half on first." Sam just nods as Adastra smiles. It does not take all that long for Adastra to get in once they had figured out the right way.

"What does it feel like?" Adastra does a few stretches and bending over to gauge the impact on movement.

"Actually it is less restrictive than I thought it might be. I could get used to it quite quickly." Adastra looking down at the blue strapping.

"I have an idea for a request if they can make it. Blue would be fine on any other Asari but it does not work for you."

"I doubt they can mark it in my marking colour to roughly match."

"They do not have to if it is transparent." Adastra looks down and then back at Sam with a smile.

"I like that idea. I am tired now though after all that, lets get to bed" Adastra pulls the sheets down and sits on the bed.

"Do you not want to take it off first?"

Adastra lies down and pulls the sheets up. "If I am going to have to live with it I may as well get used to it as quickly as possible."

"I see your point." With that Sam joins Adastra in the bed, keeping to his side so he doesn't get covered in blue flakes.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**It is almost as if Adastra has a trouble magnet on her. Since the Enlighten mission is over we will soon see the group splitting since the stop on Thessia is not going to be too long. First of those chapters you can read on the 24th March.**

**It has been a while since anyone wrote a review and travelling blindly into the abyss does not inspire confidence that I am travelling in the right direction. If any of you readers have time to write if you think this is going the right way it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading.**


	21. Chapter 21 : Thessia

**Chapter 21 - Thessia**

* * *

><p><strong>Wednesday 18th January 2017<strong>

Fosanta made sure the ship docked neatly in to its allocated berth at the space port. It was just too late to go back to bed, so a shower was next on her list. She had brought a towel with her as she left her room which she took from the co-pilots chair and headed downstairs to the shower room.

"Fosanta, errm. Morning." Kate being a little embarrassed at having someone walk in and see her with not a stitch on.

"Morning. You do know that the only real difference is in skin colour under our clothes. Do not be embarrassed Kate."

"That is easy for you to say." Kate throws the towel she was hiding behind away and moves to a shower pulling the curtain around quickly. Fosanta just laughs to herself.

"I would have thought this was bound to happen one day. Just be thankful it was not one of the commandos." Kate trying to pretend not to hear but Fosanta did have a point.

"True. I do not have anything to hide unlike Adastra and to be fair I am glad it was you and not Selayla or one of the other Asari. I am just a little embarrassed."

"Why are you up so early anyway Kate? Most people are still asleep." Fosanta jumps in to the shower next to Kate's.

"Everything that has happened over the last few days just keeps going around and around in my head. I just secretly hope that everything will get better as it is no better than on Earth at the moment."

"So you are a little homesick?"

"I guess I am... I would have thought you would have gone back to bed after docking the ship?"

"I did not want to wake Shiala on the morning of her departure so I decided to shower and start the day."

"Did you two get on well?" Kate wondering now much her departure might affect her.

"I will miss her when she has left. She has been my room mate for the last fifty odd months and was always someone who I could go and talk to, for any reason. It would be wrong if I did not feel some loss when she leaves." Fosanta turns off her shower and walks to the bench to pick up her towel. Kate had finished but could see Fosanta through the small gap between the curtains.

"You can always talk to me if you need to." Fosanta looks to Kate's shower and smiles when she sees her face through the gap quickly disappear.

"I appreciate that. Are you going to wait around in there all morning?" Kate thought for a few moments, then just pushed the embarrassment away as she opened the curtain to see Fosanta standing facing her drying the back of her head. Kate's face gained a cherry tint as she tried to weigh up whether to get on with it or go and hide in the shower. Fosanta picks up Kate's towel from the bench and holds it out for her. "You do not need to be shy."

"I think it must be all the blue as I have not usually felt this uncomfortable in these situations in the past." Kate taking the towel and wrapping herself up. Fosanta smiling to herself as she takes a couple of paces back to where her clothes are and starts putting them on. "You seem to have no problem with this."

"Why should I? We are both nearly the same excluding the skin colour and I am five hundred and seventy seven years old so I have had plenty of experience of these situations. Asari tend to be fairly comfortable with their bodies as well so do not feel ashamed at showing others." Kate raised an eyebrow at finding out her age, she certainly didn't look it.

"I do not think I am quite that comfortable. I did think you were more Shiala's age though. Those extra nearly two hundred years do not show one bit." A slight purple hue appears on Fosanta's face.

"Thank you Kate. I guess I am just a bit slower growing up than normal. Most Asari my age already have century old kids."

"Do you not want children?" Kate was a bit puzzled as to how she couldn't find a partner if she would have wanted kids.

"It is not that Kate. I have just never settled for long enough with the right person. That is the problem with taking jobs on ships." Fosanta sighs. "Would you like me to make you some breakfast for when you are finally done."

"I would appreciate that." Fosanta smiles at Kate and leaves her to dry herself in private.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam gets awoken with Adastra shuffling across the bed. "Let me guess, you either cannot sleep or you want to give me the blue disease again."

"I actually slept reasonably well. I also did not know the blue disease could be cured."

"Thanks for giving me it then." Sam saying in a joking manner as Adastra gives him a hug, "Do you think you picked the right holder then?"

"Yes, I might have fun getting out of it though." Sam laughs.

"Well I am calling first on the shower before all the hot water goes so you have time." With that he jumps out of bed and leaves Adastra in the bed. It is not too long before Sam walks out of the shower to see Adastra sat on the side of the bed. "I see you have given up. Do you need some help?"

"Yes, I have a funny feeling it was designed to stay in place." After nearly ten minutes of effort from both of them Adastra is finally released. "I think you need another shower after I have had one." Sam looked down at his clothes which had a fair few blue/grey skin flakes on. "Sorry for making you blue again." Adastra smiling whilst walking into the shower, leaving Sam trying to dust himself off.

Sam had finished picking off the skin flakes and had packed all the samples back in their box by the time Adastra appeared from the shower. The two of them leave the room for breakfast and walk down the corridor to find everyone already awake and everyone except Kate and Fosanta eating. "Are you two skipping breakfast this morning?"

"No Sam we ate over an hour ago."

"Adastra you will have a visitor in about an hour to take you to Armali council's biotics facility." Adastra just nods to Kriana. She was still not best pleased with what happened last night but was not one for holding grudges long. "I initially heard we may have had a visit from some of the evacuated crew members but that seems to no longer be happening." Adastra looks a little disappointed.

"It would have been nice to see some of them to be honest."

"I am sure that we can arrange something in the future Fosanta." Sam wondered to himself if last night had made Kriana try to be a little more friendly.

"That would be nice as I would like to meet Tahomi again sometime." Kriana nods.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

It was not too long after Sam and Adastra had finished breakfast before Kriana got a message on her Omni-tool. "It seems your visitor is early Adastra."

"Did she specify it was just me to go?" Adastra clearly wanting some support.

"I am not sure, I would ask before you leave." Adastra nodded, she and Sam plus their security all getting into the lift.

The Armali council contact seemed a little surprised at Sam who had appeared out of the lift but remained professional. "Greetings Adastra. My name is Pheinova and I am head of biotics at Armali. I could not get security clearance for any of your crew members to join us today unfortunately."

Aumarva gave Adastra a bit of a nudge to keep her quiet. "Pheinova, I am Aumarva. It would be less of a security risk to let Sam join her. Also Sam is not strictly a crew member." Pheinova seemed a little wavering in her thought.

"It is good to meet you Pheinova. I am Sam. I have accepted a job with the Armali Council on Illium, when we eventually get settled there, so I would hate to be seen as disruptive. I would appreciate the opportunity to get an idea as to how everything works in the company." That seemed to sway Pheinova's mind.

"You can both come in that case. Follow me." They followed Pheinova to a small shuttle that was in the space port not far away and boarded. It didn't take long for Adastra, Sam and their security to arrive at a sprawling complex of buildings all with perfectly rounded edges. It was almost as if the Asari had never heard of a straight edged corner before. After walking through the main door, Pheinova walked to the reception desk to talk to the receptionist. After sorting a few things out she turned around to the group.

"Welcome to Armali council's biotics facility here on Thessia. Unfortunately I can only let you take one security member in with you Adastra. Who would you like?"

"Aumarva if that is ok." Pheinova nods at that.

"You, Sam and Aumarva please follow me. The rest of you there are free drinks and seating around the corner." The rest of the group move away to the seating as they pass through the security door onto a corridor. "Each of these rooms is where we do bioamp design, testing and manufacture for individuals who cannot use our standard designs for whatever reason. They will at the end of this week be closed to allow for upgrades to be installed." Pheinova walks to a door and pulls it open and holds it gesturing to the three of them to walk in. The room was huge with automated machinery along two walls an open area in the middle and just as they enter several consoles on a desk. Sam noticed a small room in the right hand corner nearest to where they walked in. "Seliha will be your engineer for today. I hope to see you shortly." With that Pheinova exits the room and Seliha walks over.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all." She looks at Adastra. "I should explain what will happen this morning. I will test your biotic strength and signature using a test device. Once that is complete we will see using the simulations what we can do for you. When you agree with what we can provide I will begin manufacture. The whole process should be completed in a couple of hours unless it is a highly difficult or non-typical design." Adastra seemed appreciative of the explanation.

"So what do we do first." Adastra waiting for the inevitable request.

"If you would kindly remove your clothing, I can put the test equipment on you and get started". Adastra and Aumarva sigh as Sam face-palms.

"It seems you forgot to read Adastra's notes." Seliha looked confused at Sam.

"I have markings on my body from a rare condition which I would like you not to see. On top of that my skin has recently been burnt."

"Oh, how badly burnt?" Seliha wondering if the equipment would give a good reading or not yet not bothering at all about the condition.

"It was only a surface burn but it is over most of my body"

"That is ok, I was afraid it had blistered as that would have given erroneous results. It would be better if someone could help you put on the equipment but it is possible to do it yourself."

"Sam can help me if that would be better."

"Come with me." Seliha walked around to a table which had on something which looked like fabric mesh with a pair of large tubes running down the middle and a sensor at each crossover point in the mesh. There was a lack of wires though which surprised Sam a little. "It is fairly obvious how to put it on, Just make sure that there is no slack anywhere and all the sensors should line up perfectly. I will warn you it is not particularly comfortable and I will make the tests as quick as possible. Use the room in the corner to put it on."

After a few minutes Adastra was into the test device and back into her clothes. "I see what you mean about it not being too comfortable Seliha, those tube bits dig in to your back."

"Yes, again my apologies. If you could stand on the dot that is on the floor and face the right wall that would be great. Sam and Aumarva come with me." Adastra made her way to the dot as Aumarva and Sam looked over Seliha's shoulder at the console. "Adastra there is a dot on the wall, can you try and push it through to next door." Adastra did as she was asked with a large thud as the field hit the wall right on the dot. "Can you do the same again but do something with the field as it travels such as bending it." Adastra released a moderate push but then separated the field into four and made them spin around each other before hitting the dot. Seliha looked a little confused at the readings that the machine was giving her. "You said she had been burnt Sam, are you sure there are no blisters?"

"Yes, why are you asking?"

"The system gives Adastra a fairly low natural potential and yet she managed a four way split."

"Well I did see her do an eight way split fairly easily yesterday." Aumarva added. Seliha got up out of her seat and walked to Adastra.

"Do you mind if I feel to see if all the sensors are in the right place?" Adastra shakes her head and Seliha starts running her hands over Adastra's back. "Well that is odd as they all seem to be in the right place. Can you show me any of your burns?" Adastra nods and rolls up her right sleeve to show only a small hint of purple and flaky skin. "That bit of dead skin would not affect the results."

"What is wrong Seliha?" Adastra getting worried its something bad.

"Your results predict your maximum potential to be about what you have just displayed. Biotic abled people rarely achieve their maximums and Aumarva said you did an eight way split yesterday." Adastra proudly nods with a smile.

"I am sorry to say this Adastra but you are going to need to be naked for the next test. You will be covered inside that machine over there which has no cameras inside." Seliha pointing to a machine which looks like a large T shaped pipe connector.

"Typical. Does this room have security cameras?"

"Yes but they are unable to see behind the machine where the door is for exactly your kind of reasons." Adastra seemed happy with that.

"Sam come over here." Sam walked around the desk of consoles to where Seliha was explaining to Adastra how to use the door. "Can you tell me when Adastra is in the machine as I will be unable to see." Sam nods as Seliha heads back to the console desk and Adastra heads to the machine. It wasn't long before Adastra had shed her clothes, the previous equipment and bit of skin and got into the machine. Sam jogs over to the console desk.

"Adastra it is me." Seliha using the intercom between her desk and the machine. "You should be able to see a red button near the door where you came in. If you wish to stop at any time press that button. If you wish to talk do so as it is the only way you can communicate with us."

"I understand." came back from the speakers.

"In front of you, you will see a tube. I would like you to create a push and send it down that tube."

"Done."

"Thank you. If you could give me a minute to process the information." Seliha turns off the intercom.

"That explains why the previous equipment failed to give a good reading. In typical biotics there is a gradual continuous build of the field strength. The way Adastra builds her fields is using multiple pulses. It does mean that she is unable to match the average biotic in raw field strength but the control over the field would be very precise. I do not see this too often, I think it is about five percent of people we get through the door. Around forty percent of the Asari populous are like Adastra but they rarely get amplifiers or limiters. This is because they usually fail field strength exams in biotics classes, and therefore never continue training their biotic ability."

"What does that mean?" Sam totally confused.

"I will have to do more testing but there is no way a passive limiter could work as she could just use more pulses to make up for the loss." Seliha turns the intercom back on. "I have some interesting results which require some more testing. Could you send five pushes down the tube varying the strength of each." After five registered pulses Seliha changes a couple of settings. "Thank you. I know there is really no distance in which to do this but can you do the same again but try to bend each field in slightly different ways."

"Do you want the strength changing as well?"

"I would appreciate it if you could Adastra." After about a minute the system registered the fifth pulse. "Sam will come to get you out now. I appreciate you being co-operative." Sam jogs over.

"So what have they found out?" Adastra evidently bursting to know the results.

"It would be best if Seliha explained properly but you use a different method of creating fields than what seems to be common in people who come here. Did you fail biotics class at school?" Adastra looked a little surprised.

"Yes why?"

"Seliha said most people who use your method of field creation fail field strength tests in biotics class." Adastra finished getting her clothes on and they both walk back to the console.

"That machine does not happen to read minds does it?" Adastra saying as she approached Seliha.

"No Adastra, only field strengths, why?"

"I have not told anyone that I failed biotics class, so when Sam just said I was a little shocked."

"It is very common for people with a biotic system such as your own to fail. Most people then give up training biotics thinking it is pointless. What your natural ability means for you though is the absolute best limiter we can make would be a one eighth active model. The requirements we got said no less than a tenth and passive. Could you all wait here for a couple of minutes." Everyone nods as Seliha walks out of the door.

"It sounds like you are causing headaches for the people on the Citadel even when you are light years away." Sam making a joke as he was getting a little bored now. Adastra just smiled. Seliha came back in through the door a couple of minutes later.

"Sorry for the wait, I had to get advice on what to do. We will provide you with a one tenth passive limiter. It will make no difference to you at all once you have learnt your way around it, but it is what was specified. Aumarva I could update your one eighth limiter for a smaller model if you wish in the same run."

"How do you know I have a limiter?"

"Our database holds data on every biotic tested in any one of Thessia's testing facilities and what they were manufactured. Would you like me to make a smaller model for you?"

"I have grown used to this one over the years. Thank you for the offer though."

"That is fine. Adastra on your specification list it also specified an active amplifier to be integrated but gave no specifics on how it should be configured. Would you prefer an increase in field strength or control? Control also includes an active discharge system to allow you to use biotics more rapidly."

"Could you do a small increase in field strength and the rest of what you can do in to control?" Adastra seemingly getting in to the fact she is getting a free bioamp from one of the two reputable bioamp manufacturers in the galaxy. Seliha nods and types some data into the console.

"The simulation suggests... Let me go and check something." with that she leaves again.

"I like the sound of a free bioamp Sam. These things custom made can cost a million credits to purchase." The grin on her face was almost at ridiculous proportions.

"I have no idea if that is a lot."

"Sam, you can get an apartment for a couple of million." Aumarva added just before Seliha walks back in and sits down at the console.

"I have been given permission to use our latest pulsar technology in your specification which means we can offer a twenty percent boost in performance and a tripling in control along with the one tenth limiter in 15mm tubes. We could offer 18mm but they are non-standard and tend to be hated by everyone for being too big and uncomfortable. You could have 12mm tubes and still get a ten percent field strength boost and just under a doubling in control if you wish."

"wow, all that in 15mm, my limiter is 15mm and has no amplifier. Actually could I ask how small a one eighth limiter would be?" Aumarva clearly impressed as to how far technology has progressed over the years since she got her limiter.

"A one eighth limiter alone made on our standard process would be a 10mm design Aumarva. Are you rethinking your decision?"

"It would probably be a bit less restrictive and more discrete. If it would be no extra haste to you Seliha then I would highly appreciate an upgrade."

"That is no problem Aumarva. What is your decision Adastra? I could provide a little more to overall strength on the 15mm system but the simulation suggests it would be a little pointless as it would also impact the discharge system."

"Aumarva, what is 15mm like to live with?"

"I have not found it too bad to live with once you are used to it. I have heard some people never getting used to them though."

"Adastra. We use 15mm for internal testing, of which I participate in, and as Aumarva says once you are used to them then they are fairly easy to live with."

"I will accept a 15mm design." With that Seliha presses a few buttons and some of the automated machinery bursts into life.

"You can if you are not getting on well with it bring it back to us after a month and we will replace it for an 12mm system." Adastra nods at Seliha. "Now that those are being produced we should move on to the holders. I believe you had four samples sent to you yesterday Adastra. Which sample did you prefer?"

"I preferred three, I have a request though?"

"That is certainly not a commonly selected design, most people complain about it being too tight or too difficult to get on and off. We can do quite a lot with that design though so what is your request?"

"Could you make it transparent?"

"Hmm, that is a good request. We manufacture it normally in blue because it matches most peoples skin colour. I have had requests to do teal and purple coloured ones but never have I had a request for transparent." She goes through the system looking to see if it is possible to produce a transparent variant. "To answer your question, yes we can do transparent. Transparent also includes anti-bacterial and anti-fungal additives to keep it transparent." Sam and Adastra both had a small smile on their faces at that news as Seliha presses a few more buttons "Was the size that was on the packet the correct size?"

"Yes it was." Seliha starts a second machine with the holder design.

"Aumarva, In that room there will be a box labelled 10mm which has seven designs in it. Can you look in that box and find the one that you like." Aumarva goes to the room.

"Can I see the bits being made?" Sam curious as to how its manufactured.

"You can only see in to the rapid manufacturing machine which is making Adastra's holder, it is the middle one on the back wall." Sam walks over to the machine and peers in through the small window in the door of the unit. Sam was fascinated at the accuracy and speed of the machine, certainly more advanced than anything he had ever seen.

"Why is there seven holders for 10mm and only four for 15mm?" Adastra a little curious as to if she is missing out on something.

"The 15mm designs such as the one you are getting need more support and bracing than 10mm ones. For single purpose standard systems, such as the one Aumarva will be getting, 10mm is now our standard size and so we provide more choice for that." Adastra nods as Aumarva reappears from the room in the corner. Sam sees Aumarva reappear and heads back over to join everyone else.

"I prefer sample six, Seliha." a small smile appears on Seliha's face as she types the request into the console.

"I could have guessed your preference given you are a commando but I like to provide options. Are your old measurements still correct?" Aumarva nods.

"Your new holder will be delivered with your new limiter. Both of your devices will be delivered to your ship by someone in about eight hours time. If you would like to follow me out." The four of them walk back to the security door and Seliha holds the door open as each of them say their thanks and goodbye. The three of them walk around the corner to the seating area in reception to see Imphaya, Hymara, Lianta and Pheinova sitting there.

"You four look so bored." Sam trying to wake them up with light-hearted humour.

"You were longer than we expected in there?" Lianta clearly expecting it to be a five minute thing.

"You would never guess it but I was a difficult case." Adastra adding with a smile.

"I will take you all back to your ship. How long did Seliha say it would be before it is manufactured?"

"She said about eight hours Pheinova." She seems a little surprised at that.

"I did not expect it to be quite that long. I may or may not be the one who delivers it in that case. Adastra, you will get your device as soon as it has been completed. Please follow me." The six of them follow Pheinova out and around to the shuttle dock. It is not long before they get back to the space port where Pheinova drops them off. A short walk gets then back to the enlighten and something to eat.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I was wondering where you had got to." Kate adding when the six of them walked out of the lift.

"Their fancy machine got confused at me being different which was not my fault." Adastra getting a laugh out of most of the crew with that.

"I am also getting an upgrade to a newer model so that added a little to the time."

"There was me thinking you had seen someone else you wanted to have sex with Sam."

"That joke is starting to get old now Kate."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Emala and myself must unfortunately leave you all now. It has been a long nearly five years with some interesting moments and some which were just frustrating. I have however appreciated having you all on-board."

"Even me?"

"While you have been the instigator of most of the frustration Adastra, yes it would not have been the same without you." Adastra gives the two of them a hug.

"I must also leave to go back to matriarch Benezia. I am disappointed to be leaving however I hope we can get to work together again at some time."

"You need to remember we do not live long Shiala if you wish to make that happen." Sam giving her a hug. "The first two individuals to see a human. Certainly an impressive fact to tell any children."

"It is Sam. You seem awfully quiet Kate."

"Sorry this has just reminded me of saying goodbye to my father. I do apologise Shiala." She gives Kate a hug. "I must also say goodbye to Emala and Kriana, it is a bit of a pity we could not get to know each other better."

"I spent more time with the data analysts than anyone else Kate. I suppose I create friends over work easier, I do apologise."

"It is ok Emala. We are all different and it is understandable in a mixed group to have natural separation." She nods.

"I will miss you Shiala, it is not easy letting go of a good friend."

"I will try to keep in touch Fosanta but it has been a good time. I hope you remember the good times."

"I will. Kriana and Emala, the group of two. I will miss you both keeping an eye on us all even if it did get a little much at times."

"As I have said I will try to arrange something soon for as many of us to meet up as possible. But we must however now leave. Shiala, would you like a lift?"

"I would greatly appreciate that Kriana. I wish you all luck for the future."

"You too Shiala." The same comment from all four of the staying crew.

"Try to stay out of trouble everyone." Kriana having a bit of a laugh at that comment as the three of them enter the lift.

"I doubt that will happen." Sam just about shouting before the lift doors close. "And then there were twelve."

"That is a little mean Sam." Fosanta taking the loss a little badly.

"I will miss them being around but we are still together. Kriana and Emala were not really in our group, however I will miss Shiala."

"I see Kate can see my point that we are still together. I know you were with them for nearly five years Fosanta so I can appreciate you feeling unhappy about this split." She nods. "I would have liked Shiala to stay but she has other more important things to be doing which is fair enough."

"When does everyone think we should set off for Illium? I have had a bit of a long day.

"Tomorrow morning Adastra?" Fosanta also wanting some sleep before heading off to Illium. Adastra gets a message on her Omni-tool.

"It seems Pheinova is the one to make the delivery. I will be back shortly. Aumarva, you have a package too remember?" Aumarva gets up and joins Adastra to pick up their packages.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am pleased to see you again to deliver the goods." Pheinova handed Adastra a box with the Armali council logo on it, then handed Aumarva hers. "I did not expect you to be getting an upgrade Aumarva."

"Seliha offered to give me an upgrade in the same run. This newer model is quite a bit smaller than the old one." Pheinova nods.

"I have a couple of things to tell you about before I leave. Both of them have been registered to yourselves, your old one Aumarva has been de-registered and you can remove it now if you wish. Once the new devices have been put on they will become active and you have about fifteen hours left in which to do that. Aumarva. You can after moving to the new device remove it five times a day rather than the previous four, but the timings stay the same. Adastra you can have up to twenty minutes in your breaks, unlike Aumarva's fifteen but you can only have four per day. Once it has been removed it must stay on for at least one hour before being taken off again."

"I think I get all that." Adastra feeling a little flooded with information.

"Oh and a couple more things for you Adastra. The power cell will need replacing once per month, which will be provided by us the day before it needs changing. The device is also waterproof but we would kindly ask you to remove it when taking a shower as the gel can sometime cause a few problems." Adastra nods.

"Is there a reason why Adastra gets five minutes more break time a day?"

"Adastra gets the extra five minutes for device maintenance, since it is an active device. She however has larger periods in between removals to compensate."

"I thank you Pheinova for the service." Adastra knowing what kind of deal she has just got.

"I also appreciate you going out of your way to help me when you did not need to." Aumarva pleased to get something a little less intrusive.

"I hope that you are happy with the products. If you have any problems then get in touch. I hope we meet again." Aumarva and Adastra bow their heads and Pheinvoa reciprocates before leaving.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The pair walk out of the lift holding the boxes out in front of them. They find a bit of empty space still near the group and sit down placing the boxes in front of them.

"Are either of you going to open the box or are you both going to stare at them." Sam knowing roughly what the contents will be, at least in Adastra's box.

"We have fifteen hours Sam."

"Actually, I do not need this any more." Aumarva pulls the old limiter out of its sleeve with a bit of amazement from some in the group. "If any of you want to find out what a passive limiter is like, you are free to try."

"That is quite a bit bigger than I expected." Yasmari sounding a little shocked as she picked up the black device from the floor and gave it a shake to watch it wobble. Kate and Sam got a smile from the comment.

"I will open it but if the holder is not packaged and anyone laughs at it I will beat them to a pulp." Adastra makes sure everyone nods and everyone knows she is serious. With that she peals the tape off the box and opens the flaps to reveal two datapads lying on some kind of foam packing material. The first pad contained the manual and a copy of the invoice for the product, which she looks at first. "Goddess", Sam quickly turned as he had no idea where this was going, the grin on Adastra's face said it was good though. "That prototype technology really increased the price for whoever is paying."

"How much Adastra?" Imphaya knowing it is going to be a large amount as it is an Armali council product.

"Let me say they would not have much spare out of one million." All the Asari in the room seemed to be a little shocked at that amount.

"Goddess. What did you get made for it to cost that much?" Adastra picks up the second datapad, on which one message is stored. She quickly opens and reads it.

Adastra. After you left I spoke to our head designer, who came up with a new development to make the passive limiter and the Pulsar amplifier interact. This development should make the limiter do nothing at all which will make the product easier to get used to. I hope you like it, Seliha.

"That explains the cost, I was personally thinking around the eight hundred thousand mark, but that was before I knew about the extra design work that has gone in to the design to get the amplifier and the limiter to work together."

"Wait, so you have a limiter and an amplifier in one unit?" Hymara wondering how that was even possible.

"Yes, under most circumstances I would be allowed a boost, any other time I would be limited." Adastra puts the datapads together next to the box and pulls out the top most packaging allowing Adastra to lift out the clear bag that the holder has been put in. It was folded flat so it was impossible to see how the design fits but the colour was obvious.

"Well it is certainly transparent." Adastra announces with Sam laughing to himself, confusing everyone else. "It was originally blue but it did not work with my skin so I thought if it was transparent it would not matter."

"Are you going to try it on?" Swathana clearly not thinking before speaking.

"I will be putting it on shortly, you will not be seeing it however." Adastra too happy to have much of a go at anyone. "Are you going to open your box Aumarva?"

"I may as well." With that she pulls out a small knife and opens the box, finding two datapads inside. The first containing the manual and a copy of the invoice. The second one message as Adastra's box had done. Aumarva checked the message first.

Aumarva, As you may know from Adastra I spoke to our head designer after you left this morning and she had a development design for a limiter which I applied to your design as it was convenient to do so. I had 1mm to spare so I have added in a small passive discharge system to allow you to use your biotics more quickly. Since it is passive this system will only work for a couple of pulses before needing to drain, but you should find it useful. Use it wisely. Seliha.

"Oh, that was a little unexpected." Aumarva takes the other datapad and looks at the invoice. "I think someone is going to feel as if they have been robbed today."

"Did you get an upgrade too?" Adastra seeing a slight smile on Aumarva's face.

"You could say that. It is costing whoever is paying just under a hundred thousand credits."

"For a passive device?" Imphaya a little shocked at that price for an essentially standard passive device.

"Yes, I have no idea what the specification is on the upgrade I got. Do you know what your upgrade gives you Adastra?"

"Unfortunately, no. I think I might go for a shower and get to bed so I can try it tomorrow morning. Sam I will be needing your help again." A few eyebrows were raised at the last sentence.

"The design she chose for the holder is more a two person job to put on." Sam briefly explaining as Adastra piles everything back into the box, before picking it up and walking to Sam's room.

Aumarva takes her box into the shower to put her limiter on.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I do say I like the design and the transparency but why could it not have been easier to get on." Sam asks after nearly five minutes of messing getting Adastra into the thing.

"I thought it was a better design than the rest." Adastra looks at herself in the mirror. "It is going to show the markings well. Do you think I should put the device on tonight or in the morning?"

"It is up to you if you can put it on in the morning." Adastra was torn and Sam wasn't exactly useful in helping make a decision. She walks over to the box and pulls out the device to look at it and smiles.

"I think Seliha is an excellent designer, have you seen what the device looks like?" Sam shakes his head as he walks over. The device had a blue body with turquoise blue writing on it. The writing was the company logo and `Armali Council` written along the length of the left tube and `Advanced Pulsar Technology` written on the right.

"Now that is a nice touch given the holder is transparent. How did she get your marking colour so accurate?"

"I did show her my burns on my right forearm, Perhaps she saw one of the few markings there."

"I am actually interested now in how it looks when you have it on." Adastra makes sure it is oriented correctly and once happy she feeds it in to the holder, shivering slightly once the device is fully in and active.

"That felt a little weird, What do you think?"

"It matches your markings really well and looks the part." Adastra moves to the mirror again to have a look.

"I could do with sending Seliha a message of gratitude. It is difficult to get someone who understands what having markings is like." Actually I think I will write one now.

"What does it feel like as it is not exactly discrete?"

"Just a bit of pressure either side of my spine which is a little annoying. It feels as if something is on your back all the time and the body wants to get rid of it. I am sure I will get used to it." Adastra sends her message of thanks and turns off the console. "I will have to see in the morning what it can do before we leave for Illium."

"Do you want to go to bed now so we can get an early start tomorrow?"

"That sounds like a good idea." Adastra wastes no time in getting into the bed. "You remember when I said that this holder does not restrict movement much?"

"Yes." Sam jumping in the other side waiting for the revelation.

"It is the device that limits not the holder. It is certainly not inflexible but it is noticeable."

"Will you sleep ok with it?"

"I will tell you in the morning but I need to get used to it." Sam nods and smiles at Adastra who smiles back and they both put their heads down.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"That is much more comfortable than the old one." Aumarva announces after walking out of the shower room looking no different than as she went in.

"Why did you not get an upgrade sooner?" Lianta wondering how long it had been since she actually got the first device.

"I have never been offered one earlier. I wish I had now. You can all play with that one to your hearts content, I am going to get some rest." With that most of the room decide that is probably a good idea too and head to bed.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**A long chapter to get most of the Thessia stop out of the way in one go but there was no logical place to split this chapter. It is a pity to see the back of Kriana, Emala and Shiala but it was necessary as things need to move on.**

**I am hoping everyone who is a regular reader is still enjoying the story to fill your free time. If you are a new reader welcome to the end of chapter twenty one and I appreciate you spending the time to read through everything in one go.**

**Next chapter will be posted on the 31st March.**

**Any reviews or adding the story to your favourites list is greatly appreciated.**


	22. Chapter 22 : Checkup

**Chapter 22 - Check-up**

* * *

><p><strong>Thursday 19th January 2017<strong>

"I wonder who that could be?" Kate mumbled to herself as she dragged herself out of bed and to the door of her room. Opening the door she finds a rather miserable looking Asari with dark blue markings looking at her. "Come in Fosanta," Kate rubbing her eyes as she walks back to the bed.

"I am extremely sorry if I woke you." Kate gets back into the bed and pulls she sheets around her.

"You did but I do not mind. What do you want to talk about in the middle of the night?"

"I am just missing Shiala. I know it sounds a little silly but I have not slept."

"Get in if you would be happier." Kate motioning to the bed.

"Kate. I hope you do not think that is what I came for. I only came for a talk to settle my mind."

"You can leave my offer if you wish. I would however like to get some more sleep before morning." Fosanta smiles to Kate and gets in into bed next to her.

"I appreciate this Kate." Kate wondered if what she had just done was a good idea but was too tired to dwell on it. It was not long before the two of them were fast asleep.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra had awoken after yet another twenty minute power nap. Frustrated at getting no quality sleep she quietly inches out of the bed and turns on the console. She was careful to turn the brightness down on the screen so as not to awaken Sam. Out of habit the first thing she did was check her messages even though she knew it was very early morning and that no one would be awake yet. There was however a message from Seliha which intrigued Adastra.

_Adastra,_

_I am grateful for your words of thanks and appreciation, but you did not need to send them. I understand how difficult it must be to get items that match your markings. I must apologise for earlier when I asked you to take your clothes off, I realise that I was not thinking when I asked that. I have been given permission by the Armali Council to meet you on your ship tomorrow if that would be convenient. Please send a reply saying if this is ok. _

_I hope to hear from you soon. Seliha._

Adastra quickly typed out a reply on the holographic keyboard saying that she is welcome to come whenever and they will stay in Thessia until she wants to depart. After Adastra had sent the message she wondered why she was so keen to see her again so soon.

"I see you could not sleep." Sam shouted into his pillow so it came out barely audible his eyes still shut. Adastra turned around on the chair to look at Sam.

"No, It is like an annoying itch you cannot get rid of so I have barely slept. I did however get a reply to my message that I sent last night."

"You mean from Seliha?" Sam at least having his eyes open now.

"Yes, she wishes to meet us here sometime today so Illium is going to have to wait for a while."

"I call first use of the shower." Sam knowing it will take Adastra longer now given she has to wash and dry around the holder. He jumps out of the bed and walks to the shower yawning as he goes.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate and Fosanta stirred at roughly the same time. "Morning Kate, Thank you again."

"I thought you coming to my door and me letting you get into the bed was a dream." Kate looking a little confused through the not-quite-awake-yet daze.

"No Kate it was not a dream. We best be getting up if we are travelling to Illium this morning." With that Fosanta jumps out of bed as if someone had just flicked the on switch. She walked around the room to the small set of shelves and pulled out a towel before throwing it at Kate still in the bed. "If we are quick we should be able to get a shower before the commandos get up." Kate dragged herself out of the bed and stretched before picking up the towel.

"That sounds like a good idea." The two leave the room at the same time Adastra and Sam are leaving. The pair of them having smiles on their faces at what they can see even if Adastra's was showing her tiredness.

"Morning you two. Kate, I hope you have not contracted the blue disease." Adastra laughs at that.

"Blue disease?" Kate asking quizzically, still seemingly oblivious as to what this was.

"I am not explaining if you do not know." Adastra knowing all too well what happens. "There is a small change to the plans for today. There will be a guest arriving sometime, so until they have been we are not going to Illium."

"Who is coming?" Fosanta seemed awake enough and reasonably well slept.

"The engineer who we met yesterday at the Armali council biotics facility."

"I am guessing you must be wearing the device now given you look tired."

"Yes, I did not sleep well Fosanta."

"We were about to go for a shower before the commandos awoke."

"We will be having breakfast," Sam added as he and Adastra left to get something to eat as Kate and Fosanta went to the showers.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I fear Kate has caught the blue disease." Sam voicing his thoughts whilst shovelling in the crap breakfast for yet another day.

"The disease chooses you not the other way around Sam."

"So why have I got it when I am not the person you are to be looking for?" Sam remembering Sha'ira's advice. Adastra looks a little pained at that revelation.

"You are really annoying when you are right." Sam smiles just as Adastra receives a notification of a new message on her Omni-tool which she does not delay in reading.

"Seliha is going to be arriving in five minutes." Sam and Adastra had barely had time to put their breakfast stuff away and get up to the airlock before Seliha arrived.

"Adastra, Sam. It is a pleasure to be able to meet you both again." Both Sam and Adastra nod.

"So what brought you here today?" Sam not knowing what was in the messages.

"I came to see how Adastra was coping and for a talk Sam. I know that look well Adastra. I look the same after the first night."

"How long does it take to get used to it?" Adastra trying to gleam some information from the more experienced individual.

"Exhaustion will get you get some decent sleep after the second bad night. It is about a week usually before you start sleeping well however."

"Wonderful information." Adastra getting a little cranky

"Are we alone up here?" Both Adastra and Sam look a little puzzled at that question.

"If what you are wanting to say does not last long then yes as people will be waking up shortly."

"The real reason I am here I tried to hint in my message but I feel that you were too tired to pick up on it. Adastra I understand how difficult having markings on your body is as I have the same condition." Both Sam and Adastra suddenly felt shock overwhelm them.

"I could do with a sit down." Adastra walking to a nearby chair and sitting down.

"I tend to try and keep it quiet for obvious reasons. I will happily show you my markings if you wish since you should understand."

"Do you know of any more people with this condition?" Sam seemingly not quite as shocked as Adastra who still seemed to be trying to process the information.

"I used to know a Matriarch who had the condition until she died fifty four years ago. Apart from that unfortunately not Sam."

"While Adastra gets over the shock could I ask what it is like to work for the Armali Council. I am asking as both Adastra and myself have been given jobs in the Illium facility."

"I like that facility, it is one of the better ones. The management treat their workers well and although there is quite a lot of form filling to do it is simple to complete on the whole. I should be at the Illium facility in a about a weeks time for three months so I am sure we will probably see each other fairly often."

"I am guessing they must do biotics at Illium then?"

"That is what Armali Council primarily makes and works with so yes, They also have a propulsion facility on the same site. That is about all that is made in Illium and it is a tiny complex compared to the one here on Thessia."

"I think Sam and myself are going to be in the propulsion facility."

"I will make sure to keep an eye out in the corridors. You seem to be getting over the shock a little now Adastra. Apologies for giving you that revelation after a bad night."

"It is ok. I just thought I would never meet anyone who had the same condition."

"I know it is an inappropriate time but I also come with a request from the Armali Council development team. Would you be willing to get upgrades to your amp to test the newest pulsar designs that are produced? The Council have difficulties in finding suitable volunteers who have the same biotic system as yourself."

"Could I at least have a play with this one first before deciding?"

"Of course. I do not wish to pressurise you into anything Adastra. You are free to say no if you wish."

"Speaking of playing, people should be up and about downstairs. I am sure at least Aumarva would be interested in speaking to you." Seliha nods and the three of them head down a deck.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I wonder where Adastra and Sam are?" Kate added as she walked out of the showers, five minutes after Fosanta had.

"I am guessing their guest might have arrived." Kate sat next to Fosanta and picked up the plate that was on the floor.

"... amusing when a guest walks in on people eating." Sam shouts just as the lift doors opened as if he had been talking before the doors opened and that was a continuation of the conversation.

"Kate and Fosanta meet Seliha who was the person who manufactured my amp yesterday."

"I am pleased to meet you both. This is a remarkably spacious ship." Seliha looking around at the large empty space.

"I am surprised to see you here this morning Seliha." Aumarva said from down the hallway. Seliha turned around.

"It is good to see you again, Aumarva. You look well rested."

"I had a good night after getting used to the smaller size, thank you again for upgrading my limiter. Could I ask why are you here today though?"

"I came to ask if Adastra would be part of our pulsar technology testing team." Seliha not willing to say her true motive.

"Could I ask why you gave us upgrades on something that is meant to be to a strict specification?"

"On your device the upgrade I gave does not remove, bypass or reduce the effectiveness of the limiter, hence it was deemed as a valid option on your design."

"What about my upgrade?"

"Your upgrade Adastra caused us many headaches. The pulsar amplifier really does not like being paired with a passive limiter. We stretched the rules a little and we think we have got the amplifier to eliminate the effect of the limiter entirely. You would have learnt your way around it eventually anyway."

"So I have no limiter?" Adastra being a little surprised at that news as was Aumarva seemingly.

"No the limiter is there as it is mandated in your specification. The specification does not however state that it has to have an effect, so it does not in your case. The downside is the boost you get from the amplifier has suffered, our estimates show that a ten percent increase for field strength and seventy five for control is about all you will get."

"Why did you think removing the effect of the limiter was a better solution?"

"We have an idea for a design which would remove the effect of the limiter entirely, for pulse control biotics such as yourself, inside the limiter itself. That would free up the amplifier to do what it does best. That design would only be accessible if you chose to accept our offer to become a part of the pulsar testing team though unfortunately."

"All this is making my head spin." Kate clearly showing she does not have a technical head.

"That is ok Kate, it gave me headaches yesterday as well."

"What is all this about headaches." Swathana announces as she walks with Yasmari down the corridor.

"Swathana, Yasmari. This is Seliha." The two of them nod. "We met her yesterday when I went to be tested at Armali's labs. I would like to test this device out and I am bored of waiting for people to appear. If anyone wants to come with me to the shuttle deck them they are free to." Sam, Seliha, Adastra and Aumarva are the only four to take the lift down a deck.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The four of them walk into the shuttle bay out of the lift.

"This is a nice space for testing. Who would like to test their device first?"

"How would I go about testing my new limiter Seliha?"

"That is simple Aumarva, just try and create biotic fields as quickly as you can." Aumarva stands facing a wall and creates three pushes with four seconds between each.

"Oh, now that is a decent increase. My previous best was six seconds. That will be very handy for me, Thank you Seliha." Seliha nods with a small smile on her face.

"It will take about one hour after five rapid discharges, for the device to recover. I am just warning you just in case you start relying on it too much."

"I will heed the warning."

"I can see you are itching to test your device Adastra. How comfortable were you with an eight way split the other day?"

"I was ok but I am much more tired today. I would not like to try it to be honest."

"Aumarva could you send one push into the wall as before. Adastra split it in to eight, remember you have the amp now." Adastra nods and Aumarva sends a push towards the wall which quickly splits into eight and each individual piece goes on a lap around the room before deliberately flying into a wall.

"That was a little strange. I could feel both the limiter and the amplifier."

"It is a little interesting that you can feel the limiter. Do you think it is effecting your performance?"

"No but I feel as if it is making creating and maintaining fields more difficult."

"That is valuable advice Adastra. It sounds like the simulator was incorrect. We have so little decent data from testers for the pulsar amp it is a bit of a guessing game at times. Would you feel happy with a sixteen way split?"

"No, I think twelve would be about my absolute limit on a good day given how I just felt." Seliha nods before seemingly thinking about something.

"Would you mind if we could have a talk in private Adastra?"

"Of course not Seliha, my room is upstairs." All four get back in the lift and go up a deck.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The four of them walk out of the lift, everyone finally being awake, half of them wondering who this strange person is walking around. "If you need me I will be out here." Adastra seemed a little less spritely at Sam saying that, which Seliha did not miss.

"Actually Sam, I could do with someone else to help me." Adastra seemingly happier at that which made Seliha a little happier. The three of them walked together down the hallway to Adastra's room and entered.

"Aumarva, I tried that old limiter of yours on last night. How did you put up with it making your biotics useless and killing your back in the process?"

"Imphaya, you get used to the discomfort when you are forced to wear it and the weak biotics you just have to accept. I have got an awful lot better in hand to hand combat since I got the limiter though. No one else tried it?" Aumarva looks around at everyone shaking their heads.

"Everyone really should as it is an experience, I think if the design was smaller I would be happy wearing an amp."

"Imphaya, my new limiter is only 10mm not 15mm. It would be comfortable and it is Armali Council's standard size now."

"I may well in the near future look into them then as I am not the best biotic ever."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The three of them sit down on Adastra's bed. "Sorry about trying to leave you out of this Sam. I see you mean a lot to Adastra."

"That is no problem Seliha, I have got used to it over the last couple of weeks." Seliha nods.

"I said earlier I would show you my markings but I have a question first. Does anyone have a full memory of your markings Adastra?"

"You have to promise to say nothing to anyone." Seliha nods "Sam is the only person who has an intact memory."

"I just needed to know if I could trust you Sam. I apologise for any offense I may have caused but I also do not like spreading around my markings. I hope you understand."

"I do Seliha and I will not tell anyone." Seliha nods and stands up from the bed and starts removing her clothing, carefully placing everything that was removed on the desk. Seliha's markings were a purple colour on her blue skin and seemed to be two garlands that both started between her shoulders before splitting to travel under each arm, catching the bottom of her breasts, then wrapped around her body until it hit the top of her thighs. It then spiralled down each leg eventually stopping at the inside of each ankle. Her arms were free of markings.

"I am massively disappointed I do not have those markings they are discrete and yet very pretty. I am most surprised as to how regular and well defined they are. It is as if they were deliberately painted on with care and precision." Adastra really wishing she had got some markings like Seliha's instead of her own mass of markings with no real pattern.

"Seliha you have wonderfully delicate markings. If I saw a normal Asari now with their blank blue skin, I would be disappointed at the blandness." Seliha's face was making a good attempt at becoming another marking with all the embarrassment. "How someone could say anything bad about them I have no idea. Both of you have something special and I still feel greatly honoured that I have been able to see both of you."

"I have grown used to comments such as `can you not get them removed` that I was set to to hear the same from you two. I feel happy in my own body for once, thank you both of you. This means so much to me." She proceeds to hug Sam and Adastra before sitting back on the bed with a smile on her face.

"Do you mind if I ask how old you are Seliha?"

"I am 492 years old Sam, Since we are getting ages how old are you?"

"I am 27"

"I am 361, 362 in a few days" Sam made a mental note of this.

"27?"

"Yes Seliha, my species rarely live one hundred years, unlike the Asari."

"I apologise again Sam. I did not know."

"I did not expect you to. Myself and Kate are the only two of our species not on or orbiting our home planet. We are a bit new to everyone out here. I still remember the councillor when she first saw us, she just seemed to freeze and could not say anything." All three of them laughed a little at that.

"Seliha, It would be inappropriate of me not to show you my markings now you have shown us yours." Adastra stands up from the bed.

"You do not have to Adastra." Sam was thinking the same but also thinking it was probably better for Adastra to get a bit more comfortable in her own skin.

"No, I would also like to show you what you made looks like as well. I am sorry in advance for the flaky skin but at least the colour looks about right now." With that she removes the clothing that covered her markings putting them on the chair as she proceeds.

"Oh, that is so amazing in its chaos Adastra. I think I have marking envy. I know why you had more problems than myself though given you seem to have markings nearly everywhere, it must not have been easy to cover them. How anyone could not appreciate what you have though Adastra I do not know. I can now see why you did not wish to have a coloured holder and went for a transparent one, it really would have looked out of place."

"Indeed. Both myself and Sam had large smiles on our faces when we saw the text colour on the amp last night. I must thank you again for that as it matches nearly perfectly so it looks like it was designed just for me."

"It was no problem. I like to decorate my amps to match my markings, I thought you might like the idea too, even if it was just the text colour. All the other employees think I am a little mad when I decorate them but they have no concept of markings on the body."

"If I join the testing group can I keep this design for the testing devices too including the text?"

"The text on the second tube would have to change to `Developmental Pulsar Design` instead of `Advanced Pulsar Technology` but if you are happy with that small change then yes I can see no reason why all new devices for you can not be blue with the writing the same colour as your markings."

"I can live with that wording change. I will join the testing group if it is not too inconvenient from the security standpoint of having to keep registering new devices."

"I have had an idea, I will not say what it is but when I message you the details of how testing works I will tell you if my idea has been allowed."

"ok, Thank you Seliha. I think we could do with getting our clothes back on before leaving." Seliha nods and the two do just that before the three of them leave the room.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"What is it you two do when people come to talk to you?" Kate really starting to wonder what happens.

"Thank you again Adastra for the testing information you have given me and I will be in contact about the testing process later. Kate, melding properly takes time. I hope I will get to see you all again soon." Sam and Adastra laugh as Seliha leaves the ship with a smile on her face.

"Did you tell her to say that Sam?"

"No, but she is in a good mood and we were the ones to put it there. It is up to you to form your own opinion on what happened as I am unable to say anything else." Sam just about resisting the urge to laugh.

"There are a lot of things you say you cannot talk about."

"I really am sorry Kate. I really would like to tell you but it is not up to me to spread the information."

"Are we ok to depart for Illium now Adastra?" Adastra nods to Fosanta and they both move to the lift to go up a deck.

"Aumarva, who has your old limiter. I am bored and curiosity has got the better of me."

"I have got it Kalawa." Imphaya heads off down the hallway to get it.

"If you wait a second I have something which may help." Sam suddenly remembering that Adastra still has the 15mm samples from Armali. He goes to his room where the box is on the floor. Taking out the design that Adastra picked he re-closed the box and brought it back to where everyone was. "In here are three holders for the device, you all do not look too different in body shape from Adastra so they should fit." Kalawa looks through the samples picking the soft plastic and leather strapped sample out.

"So if I put this on then I can just slide it in and out?" Kalawa looking at Aumarva who nods.

"If anyone fancies a go and likes either of the two samples left then putting them on now would save time." Yasmari gets up and looks at the other two samples picking the design that looks like a fabric mesh. Yasmari then follows Kalawa into the shower room. "Any more takers, I would but I am not biotic." Lianta stands up "Catch." Sam throws the last sample, a soft plastic and bungee cord design, which she just about manages to keep hold of before going to join the other two.

"This is going to be amusing." Imphaya wobbling the device waiting for them to reappear. Kalawa was the first to appear.

"This is actually rather comfortable."

"See what you say when you put this in." Imphaya holding the device out, "It goes in that way around." Kalawa nods as she takes the limiter and slides it in.

"Ok, that is not comfortable. Did you say these holders were Adastra's Sam?"

"Yes why?"

"Do these accept smaller devices or is this the same size as what Adastra has?"

"It is the same, so she will feel like you are at the moment." Kalawa says nothing, Yasmari and Lianta reappear from the shower room as Fosanta and Adastra reappear from the lift after setting the ship to auto pilot.

"Are these the designs you did not pick Adastra?" Adastra looked at the box and then at Sam with a smile.

"Yes Lianta. I am guessing you can see why."

"It was a pain to put on and mine is not comfortable is yours Yasmari?"

"It is not too bad but it is rubbing a little. So who has the limiter?"

"I have it on, it really is not comfortable, just to warn you. I feel sorry for you Adastra."

"It is more a dull annoying ache than uncomfortable now, I just hope I can get some better sleep tonight. Anyway if you want to do the testing up here, I will split the pulse into two and neutralise the field so no damage is done." Selayla looks confused.

"I thought you had a limiter Adastra?"

"I do but I can still manage a two way split even with it on." Adastra knew this was a slight understatement but thought it best not to say the limiter did not make any difference. "Kalawa I know that the device is uncomfortable so whenever you are ready." Kalawa nods and releases the strongest push she can manage with the limiter which Adastra splits and slams the parts into each other.

"That was pathetic Kalawa." Yasmari joked not realising it would be her turn next.

"I know Yasmari. I could probably remain standing if hit by that. It is really weird as you feel as if it is going to be as powerful as normal."

"I found that too last night. It just does not feel right." Imphaya adding her input in as Kalawa reaches behind her to remove the device.

"No it does not feel right. I am so glad to get that removed though, your turn Yasmari." She takes the limiter and slides it into the holder she has on. After releasing a push she cannot quite believe the weakness and so tries again giving the same result.

"I really hope I never have to wear one of these again." Yasmari reaching around and pulling it out handing it to Lianta. "It is just mean making you feel as if it is going to be a powerful push and then when its released, it appears as nothing more than a pathetic prod."

Lianta puts in the limiter and tries to produce a push giving nothing more than a poke that Adastra doesn't even bother splitting just letting it hit the back wall. She tries again and gets a much more sizeable push than either Kalawa or Yasmari managed.

"This is making me feel strange as if I have an excessive static charge in my body." She tries yet another push and gets something fairly pathetic again but not as bad as the first. "This is making my biotics unstable." Lianta removes the limiter and looks relieved. "I do not want to experience that again, that was unpleasant."

"I will ask Seliha what might have caused that to happen next time I see her." Lianta nods to Adastra.

"When are we going to land on Illium?" Kate asking out of curiosity.

"I estimate about seven and a half hours if we do not get in a queue with all the freight ships at the mass relays." Fosanta giving all the information Kate needs.

"Our Armali Council representative will not be meeting us until tomorrow morning and as we will be docking late evening I think it will be best to get an early night." Adastra seemingly keen to get that sleep.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra had got sick of watching autopilot and decided to fly the Enlighten herself. Fosanta as soon as they got into radio range to Illium control wanted to get a dock as they tended to fill quickly in an evening.

"Illium control, this is ASL Enlighten requesting a dock."

"ASL Enlighten, You have been reserved dock six two. We also wish to welcome you back to Illium from your successful mission."

"We all appreciate that Illium control. ASL Enlighten out." Fosanta turned to Adastra to her left. "That is nice, they remembered us."

"It was less five years ago and I did try a silly stunt as we left. I would be disappointed if they had not." Adastra remembering back to the maiden voyage thinking it seems like it was decades ago.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The Enlighten slipped easily into the dock and the docking clamps engaged which let Adastra shut down the drive systems.

"Adastra. Could you give me our Armali contact's details as I need to start looking for jobs, she may know where to start looking."

"Sure, her name is Usarta. I will send a message to you with all her details on." Adastra opens her Omni-tool and forwards her details on to Fosanta. "I must now get some sleep. I will talk in the morning."

"Sleep well Adastra and thank you for the details." Adastra nods to Fosanta who seemed to be staying for a while longer. Adastra appears on deck two, from the lift, to see Kate and Sam and a lack of commandos.

"Where has everyone gone?"

"For a shower." Adastra looks confused. "Yes everyone at once. I am not going to think what happens in there." Adastra and Kate laugh a little. "Are you ready for bed?"

"Yes given I had no decent sleep last night. Kate, Fosanta is on the top deck if you want to find her. I gave her the details of our contact at the Armali Council, she might be able to sort you out with a job as well at the same time."

"That would be nice, I will go and see her. Have a good night." Kate left in the lift as Sam and Adastra headed down the corridor to Sam's room.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam had quickly finished his shower and walked out to see Adastra had already got her clothes off to save time once she was in the shower. Adastra puts her hand over her shoulder and pulls out the amplifier.

"That feels so much better. Why did I ever agree to 15mm?"

"Seliha said you will be ok soon. Go and get a shower and then some much needed sleep." Adastra just nods and goes in the shower. Sam hoping she gets used to it soon as it seems to be making her unhappy. Not long later Adastra emerges looking a little fresher.

"Do I have to put it back on Sam?" Adastra looking at the blue device on the bed.

"Yes. If you want me to put it in for you then I will as you are on a time limit." Adastra just gives a resigned sigh, picks up the amp and pushes it back into the holder, giving her a shiver as it enables itself, before getting into bed. Sam shuffles across and gives Adastra a hug. "I know you do not like it, just do your best to get some sleep." Sam shuffles back to his side, Adastra nodding then putting her head down, Sam doing the same.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Adastra said you were looking for jobs." Kate walking into the cockpit area and sitting in the pilots chair.

"Yes, I do not know where there are any so I am using our contact to help me."

"I still have not settled on one yet. Could you ask if the Armali Council need anyone for an office job on Illium?"

"That will be no problem Kate. I will just send this message off and then I will get to bed since I only had half a nights sleep last night. I hope tonight will be better." Kate could hear the despair in Fosanta's voice.

"If you wish you could sleep with me again." Fosanta smiled as Kate's mind was wondering why she had just offered that. She put it quickly down to being caring and wanting to help.

"I prefer to sleep with nothing on. Is that sill ok with you?" Kate's mind was spinning with `Why are you even thinking of saying yes?`. Every fibre in her body was screaming that this was not her. She nods her head without conscious input. "Thank you Kate." Fosanta's smile calmed her a little but that question of `why did I just do that?` kept going around and around as if it was on a roundabout with no exits. At this point she remembered back to what Sam had said this morning. `_Kate, I hope you have not contracted the blue disease_`. She now understood exactly what Sam meant. "Is everything ok, Kate?"

"Yes, I was just thinking back to what Sam said this morning". Fosanta looked puzzled at first and then a knowing smile appeared on her face.

"That was not just as we came out of your room this morning was it?"

"Yes, I was trying to understand why I had to ask you to sleep with me" Kate quickly read back that statement in her head and felt highly embarrassed. "Why did i just say that, and why did I agree to let you sleep naked next to me tonight. This just feels so strange, this is not me." Fosanta got up off her chair and gave Kate a hug.

"I am deeply sorry but Sam was correct." Kate's mind was trying to find the sense in all this but coming up with nothing. "I can sleep in my own room if you are having second thoughts."

"No." Kate rapidly replied before her brain could think, she sighs at the situation, "I just need to get to bed before this drives me insane." Fosanta nodded and the pair went to Kate's room.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate got in to bed as Fosanta got undressed. She just about managed to resist looking before Fosanta climbed in to the other side.

"It is ok to look now." Fosanta smiling as Kate turns over to look at her.

"Can you not tease me please Fosanta. I just want to sleep." Fosanta nods a little and turns over, Kate does the same and the two try and go to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>

**A few interesting points in this chapter. Seliha has markings and while a bit of a long stretch they would have eventually met each other given she works at Armali and was about to go on a centre relocation because of a machinery refit. Call any impossibly long odds in this story as a bit of artistic licence.**

**It also seems as if Fosanta and Kate are finally warming to each others company even if Kate does not feel too comfortable with the idea. **

**Next chapter will be moving into their provided accommodation on Illium and you can read that on 7th April.**

**Big appreciation to everyone who continues to read this each week. Adding the story to your watch list or if you have time to review are appreciated if you have the time.**


	23. Chapter 23 : Illium Arrival

**Chapter 23 - Illium Arrival**

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><p><strong>Friday 20th January 2017<strong>

Sam awoke to a sea of light streaming in through the small window and creating a light patch in the room which was getting ever nearer to the sleeping Asari. Sam just watched the light inch its way closer until it got to Adastra's face, he then shuffled he way across the bed and gave Adastra a hug from behind waking her up.

"Argh," was all Adastra could say as she pulled the duvet over her face to shield her eyes from the glare.

"Morning, how was your night." Sam saying with a grin on his face.

"Apart from waking up several times I feel ok. You waited until the light from the window was just right." Adastra giving Sam a bit of a glare.

"You did get a hug to compensate." Adastra smiled at that. Sam didn't pause long before jumping out of the bed and running into the shower. Sam didn't take long in the shower and Adastra quickly followed being faster than usual.

"That was quick"

"I am getting used to drying around this holder." Adastra looked at the blue amp on the desk, "You know, I think I might be starting to get used to this." She picks it up and slides it in shivering as usual as it becomes active.

"I am glad to hear that as you practically hated the thing last night." Sam waits for Adastra to put on her clothes and the two of them leave to get breakfast.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Fosanta had awoken several minutes ago but decided not to wake Kate. It was not long however before Kate stirred and Fosanta saw her opportunity to get up.

"Morning Kate."

"erh," was Kate's attempt at a response as she wiped her eyes and yawned. She looks over to see Fosanta just about to get dressed. All she could do is laugh to herself. "It is an interesting way to start the day." Fosanta turned around out of confusion before realising and smiling.

"It is usually better if you get out of bed to start the day." Kate nods and gets out of bed to put her normal clothes on, Fosanta taking a quick peek every now and then. Once the pair were ready they left Kate's room and walked down the corridor.

"I feared as much yesterday." Sam said to Adastra as the pair approached the two of them as they were about half way through their breakfast. "Morning you two." Sam greeted getting a nod from Fosanta.

"Morning Sam, You look more rested this morning Adastra." Kate in a slightly cheery mood.

"Yes I had a better nights sleep, thank you for asking. Fosanta?" Adastra did not need to ask the question in full to get the required answer.

"I also had a good nights sleep." a smile to go along with that statement was all Adastra needed.

"Could I get some answers from everyone as my mind is a bit of a mess this morning?" Kate looking a little lost in her own little world but enjoying it all the same.

"Sure. I bet I can guess what you are going to ask, but go on." Sam smiling.

"I now understand what you meant yesterday morning Sam. How did you know though?"

"Experience Kate. It is easy to see the symptoms if you already have the problem."

"Right. Why do I feel as if I have no option when there are two answers?" Adastra looks at Fosanta who nods.

"We subconsciously manipulate other species to like us Kate. Sorry we are unable to help it. This is basically what the disease is and is well hidden until the individual realises. Once that happens the person must consciously decide whether to listen to us or not." Sam finishes the last of his bland breakfast.

"I am guessing that Sam decided to." Kate still not knowing what to do.

"Kate, I think Sam would have willingly but I did deliberately make it difficult for him not to. Sorry about that Sam." Adastra hoping Sam would not hate her for that, the small smile on his face just about saying she was ok.

"Kate, I will not sway your decision as I am not mean." Fosanta trying to keep Kate calm as Adastra gets a message. Sam shuffles closer to Adastra to peer over her shoulder at the message.

"Usarta will be here in twenty minutes. Does our security not know about this mornings activities?" Sam gets up and walks down the corridor banging on each closed door as he goes then walks back.

"That should fix the problem." It was only a few seconds after Sam sat back down before the doors opened and there was a stream of bleary eyed commandos walking down the hallway.

"Morning, our Armali Council contact will be here in under twenty minutes."

"Did you have to bang on the door."

"I did not Imphaya, Sam did but it did wake you up." Sam just tried to look innocent but it seemingly wasn't working given the looks he got.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Everyone had had food by the time Usarta had arrived at the Enlighten. Everyone had grouped on the top deck to meet her.

"It is good to meet everyone, my name is Usarta. I hope you do not mind if I get to know you all better later. Fosanta I will talk over all the options that I have for you later." Fosanta nods. "Kate I believe that you wished to know what jobs we had available at our Illium facility?" She nods with a little enthusiasm. "We would after a quick trial welcome you to be a client verifier. We are currently building a small team on Illium as we currently select all our clients at our Thessia facility. This however is a little inconvenient for our potential propulsion clients."

"What would that job need me to do?"

"Basically you just need to be friendly, verify the person is who they say they are, see if they have a criminal record and find out why they want our products over someone else's. We will tell you what you need to do anyway. I also noticed that Adastra and Sam have got some perks with their contracts. We cannot offer the same perks with that job although we will offer you flexible time around appointments and ten percent extra pay."

"I would gladly accept." Kate hoping inside that her timidity doesn't rear its head as those perks are good. Usarta nods.

"You will not need to sign anything until you have seen the facility and seen where you will be working. I think that is everything for the moment. Would everyone like to follow me to the shuttle." The twelve of them follow Usarta to the shuttle which was in the next docking bay.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

All on-board watched out of the windows as the skyscrapers of the city turned into more industrialised buildings and warehouses. Sam was sure that he saw the Armali Council facility as there was a cluster of buildings in the distance with more rounded edges. They travelled still further from the city until they got to the outer edge where there were single large houses surrounded by walls to separate the land boundaries. Each house usually having enough land for two shuttle landing zones as well as a large garden. The shuttle descended towards a plot which was more than twice the usual size but had two houses on it. The houses did not look too large and elaborate with their white, painted concrete walls, and sand coloured roofs. Each looked exact duplicates of each other as if they were prefabricated or made from a template. The shuttle touched down next to four others which were already on the ground.

"These are your homes, you are welcome to separate yourselves however you wish. Please follow me." With that they all got out of the shuttle to see a garden with a few small trees in and a number of shrubs. The pond in the middle of the garden caught Fosanta's eye as they walked down the pathway under some trees towards the left house.

"Usarta, does the pond have fish in it?"

"Yes Fosanta, there are some rather odd ones in there too. I personally do not know their kind, I am sure I could find out if you wanted?"

"No that is fine." They continued until they got to the front door which was painted blue. Usarta held the door open and gestured everyone inside. The front door entered into a hallway, with the staircase up to the first floor immediately ahead. "Everyone have a look around I will wait on the seats here." Usarta points to the open living area on the right with a large table, several sofas, a couple of chairs and a few plants in pots.

Through a door on the left as you enter there was a dining room with a large table and a good view over the garden. At the end of the hallway to the left of the staircase was a door to the kitchen which was large and looked a little clinical with the amount of white. To the right as you enter there was a door back around to the seating area. Under the staircase is a door leading to an open basement with the same footprint as the house.

The stairs to the first floor split into two near the top with two steps either side leading to two open walkways, each of which had two double bedrooms with a small bathroom between them. Each room has an internal door near the corner into the bathroom to make it into a shared en suite. Walking around the corner at the end of the walkway there is a second staircase up to the second floor which again splits like the first with one large room on each side, each of which has office space and a small seating area.

Everyone after looking around congregated in the seating area downstairs where Usarta had patiently waited.

"I hope you like the house. You are free to make cosmetic changes if you feel that it needs any. Both of the properties are identical and each kitchen is stocked with some basic food."

"I think the first decision is how everyone would like to split?" Fosanta trying to make a start.

"Well Fosanta, we assumed that you may wish to have security in one property and yourselves in the second." Usarta seemingly got the brief from the Councillor.

"Does anyone have any objections to that?" Everyone stays quiet or shakes their head as Fosanta looks around. "Ok then, we will take next door."

"Fosanta, I will come with you to discuss the jobs I found. I will be back shortly to make sure you are all settling in ok." Fosanta nods and Adastra, Fosanta, Kate, Sam and Usarta leave to go next door.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The house was exactly identical to the other one just as Usarta had said it would be. Fosanta and Usarta had sat down on the seats in the living area as Adastra, Kate and Sam went upstairs.

"Which side of the house would you like Kate?"

"I have absolutely no preference Sam, so you choose."

"Ok left it is for us. Adastra left or right hand room?" Kate just laughed as she went in the one closest to the staircase.

"The one away from the stairs." With that Sam and Adastra walk into the room to the left of the bathroom.

"Well this is a little bigger than what we had on the Enlighten. It also seems to have plenty of storage space."

"Like we have a lot of clothes between us Sam." Both of them laugh at that. "We could always fill the shelves with junk though."

"I think there is plenty of junk space between upstairs and in the basement Adastra. I feel as if we need to get said junk from the Enlighten though." Adastra nods and the pair of them leave the room and go downstairs.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Fosanta, I found a couple of jobs for you but it depends upon how close you wish to stay to your speciality. The first is where you thought might be a good idea in Illium space control. This would be a non-technical role and the pay reflects this. The second is with ourselves as we have real problems getting data from our development pulsar amplifiers and need someone with solid experience in data communications."

"I really thought Illium control was where I wanted to be but your problem sounds more interesting. What will the pay be like?"

"We will offer a competitive wage and the same perks as Sam and Adastra are to get. Which are twenty percent paid time to do what you want and flexible hours just to remind you. I can keep looking for more for you if you wish."

"As long as I can have a talk with some people who are having the problems before I agree then your offer sounds like a good choice."

"Of course Fosanta." Usarta looked up to see Adastra and Sam coming down the stairs. "Are you two wanting to get some stuff from your ship?" The pair walk over to the seats.

"Yes, I was wondering how you wanted to go about this."

"You can use your shuttle if you wish as I need to see how the commandos are settling in. They are in alphabetical order from the left as you walk towards them so yours Adastra will be the left most one." Adastra nods. "Sam yours will eventually be the right most but you need to learn how to fly one first so it is locked out for now." Usarta turns to Fosanta, "Your shuttle will be the second from the left in case you need to leave before I get back."

"Fosanta, Kate has claimed the right side of the house for you so you know where to find her." Fosanta nods and gets up to see Kate. Adastra and Sam leave to get some stuff taking Imphaya and Lianta with them. Usarta leaves to see how the others are settling in.

Fosanta walks in to the first room on the right to find Kate looking at the storage space. "Kate, Could I ask if you have decided yet?"

"Decided on what Fosanta?" Kate turned away from looking in the wardrobe to give a puzzled look.

"What we were discussing with Adastra and Sam this morning."

"Oh." Kate sits down on the side of the bed. "I am not sure if you are going to get a job at Illium control it might be a bit difficult."

"Kate, I have been offered an interesting sounding job at Armali Council in their biotics facility. I have also been given the same perks as Adastra and Sam so it would not be difficult for me to match your timetable."

"There is just a little piece of me saying yes, the rest of me is just saying this is wrong. But this whole situation is wrong, I should not be thousands of light years away from my home planet. I am wondering if I am still in denial about this whole thing." Kate lays down on the bed looking to see if the white ceiling has any more inspiration.

"I do not wish to say anything to influence your decision, it is yours to make. If you are to be too much longer then I will have to ask you again after I have got my stuff from the Enlighten." Kate knew she had time to make her mind up but this question was just going to keep coming around. She could not put off the inevitable forever, a decision was going to have to be made one way or another. Kate wondered if this is what Sha'ira meant by _`you have already found what you are looking for, you just do not know it yet_`.

"I hope that this is the right decision. Ok, you and I will share a room." Fosanta jumped onto the bed and gave Kate a hug. "You seem awfully happy, I have not just said I will be with you for ever and ever have I?" Fosanta lets Kate go but does not move too far away.

"No Kate, It has just been so long since I have had a stable life that I am a little overwhelmed that you said ok. I must warn you now though that this is like best friends if you wish. It can get more serious later if you want that."

"That makes sense, and yes I do see you as a best friend. Why did you not explain it like that before?"

"Kate, the term best friends is the best I can think of that you will understand, but it is not quite right. You might think of it as more intimate friends but without melding." Kate shuffles a little. "You seem a little uncomfortable at that thought."

"I am. It is not exactly classed as normal for our species to have a same gender partner. I hope you can understand why it is difficult for me to be comfortable with that notion."

"Kate, nothing will ever seem normal. All that matters is what you think, do you think the decision was right?" Fosanta secretly hoped that it was but was trying to prepare for disappointment.

"Well, I think it is the right decision, its just that I need to get used to the idea."

"Take all the time you need and if you need any outside advice I am sure Sam would help. Lets go and get our stuff." Kate nods and the two of them leave the house meeting Swathana and Selayla on the way to the shuttle before heading to the Enlighten.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam and Adastra had already loaded all of their personal stuff from engineering and were in their rooms boxing things up. Linata and Imphaya had got all their stuff loaded as well and were just hanging around waiting when Kate, Swathana, Fosanta and Selayla walked on to the deck.

"Could you two help us get our stuff together?" Selayla asking the two loitering Asari.

"Sure, we have nothing else to do for a while." Lianta added and Imphaya nodded before the six of them walked down the corridor. Sam and Adastra each had their doors open whilst packing and Adastra spotted Kate and Fosanta just as they were about to walk past.

"Are you two sharing a room as well?" Fosanta looked at Kate to confirm the decision.

"Yes Adastra." Adastra smiled and walked to her doorway. "Do you mind if I had a talk in private?" Adastra looked at Fosanta, who nodded and went to her room.

"Of course not." Adastra gesturing Kate into her room and shutting the door. Kate sitting on the side of the bed evidently something on her mind but looking happy enough. "What is it you wish to talk about Kate?"

"I am unsure as to whether I made the right decision." Adastra sat on the bed next to her but respecting her personal space.

"Sam and I were having a discussion while packing things in engineering earlier. He said you might have a problem with Fosanta being of the same gender as yourself. I asked him why so he explained which made it sound as if your species sees this as something not considered normal. Was Sam right in his assumption?"

"Yes. Your species are hard for me to get my head around given you are mono-gendered, sorry."

"Kate, do you appreciate Fosanta?" Kate nods. "Then there is nothing to be sorry about." Adastra thinks for a few moments. "I have an idea for both of you to do. Would you trust Fosanta enough to say yes or no to it on your behalf?" Kate looks a little unsure.

"I think it would depend what it is."

"It will probably be out of your comfort zone, but not unpleasant, just between the two of you. I know you can easily do what I am thinking of."

"Ok, I trust Fosanta."

"Wait here while I speak to Fosanta about this idea. I will get her to come back in here to give her answer. I will not force her one way or the other, ok?" Kate reluctantly nods and Adastra leaves and walks into Sam's room. Walking to a draw Adastra had claimed she pulls out a bottle of what looks like shower gel.

"Sam can you swap Kate's shower gel for this?" Adastra holds out the bottle with Sam looking puzzled.

"It is not acid or glue or something that smells really bad or anything like that is it?" Sam clearly knowing Adastra all too well.

"No, can you do this for me, she is out of her room for the next two minutes. I will explain later." Sam nods and takes the bottle and heads into Kate's room as Adastra goes into Fosanta's.

"It seems Kate needs a bit of a push Fosanta, I have had an idea." Fosanta just sighs.

"There was a reason why I told Kate ask Sam and not yourself. I may as well hear the idea while you are here though. What is it?"

"I want you to have a shower together." Fosanta seemed to lighten up a little at the idea. "I did ask Kate if she would be willing to let you answer for her and she said yes. I said that you would give your answer in front of her in my room."

"I was expecting you to say meld with her so this is rather reasonable. It will still be a lot to take for Kate though."

"Could you come and see her in my room?" Fosanta nods and they both head to Adastra's room, Kate still in the same place on the bed looking up as they enter.

"Kate my idea was for you two to have a shower together." Kate suddenly feels a touch of fear, Fosanta sits down next to her.

"Kate, I know that you said you would trust me to answer for you. I also need a shower when we get back. Could you do this if you really tried?" Kate reluctantly nods and Fosanta looks at Adastra "We will do it when we get back."

"I know you hate me now but I hope it helps. I need to get back to packing though." Fosanta nods and helps Kate up off the bed and the pair walk out, Adastra having a smile on her face.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra and Sam had just taken the last of their personal items into the house and were now sat in the sitting area waiting for Kate and Fosanta.

"Why did you have me swap Kate's shower gel?"

"Well as you said in engineering she is a bit conflicted so I suggested that Fosanta and herself have a shower together."

"That is a bit mean but still does not explain why you needed me."

"Well I am going to assume that they will agree to just not go ahead with it and just tell me they have. The shower gel you swapped makes normal Asari skin purple. If they have showered together Kate will be red and Fosanta will be purple, if only Kate is red then we know they have not showered together."

"How do you know what colour Kate will be?"

"Do you remember the first shower you had on the Enlighten when we got hot water?" Adastra having a smile on her face as Sam instantly remembered how red his skin had been.

"I hate you." Sam saying with a smile on his face. "Why do you even have it anyway?"

"It is funny to use as a joke. I prefer the one which makes my skin green with lime green markings, it looks interesting." Adastra avoiding the question and with Fosanta and Kate walking in ends all possibility of further questioning. Sam and Adastra help them unload their shuttle which did not take too long. "We will be downstairs if you need us." Fosanta and Kate nod and the pair walk downstairs.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Kate I know you are not comfortable about this, but if we get it over with Adastra will not keep asking us."

"I am just a little afraid of touching you."

"Kate, I have no problems with that at all, at least give it a try. If you do not wish me to touch you then that is fine."

"I will see how comfortable I feel once I am in there." Fosanta grabs two towels from the pile and throws one at Kate. Kate picks up the shower gel and the two of them walk into the bathroom.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra gets a message on her omni-tool which she immediately reads.

_Adastra, _

_I am pleased to inform you that you have been successfully entered in to the testing system. You will be given a new prototype at the start of the third week in each month and will be required to participate in testing on the first and second Saturdays in each month. There may be extra testing sessions and you will of course be paid for any time spent whilst testing. The idea I had was approved and the prototype systems will have alternate wear tracking to what is in your current system. This means you will be limited to 2 hours per day but removals will not be limited in duration or number._

_I have also heard that you have a large property near the Armali Council complex and would like to ask if there was any spare room for me to stay for three months. I will be arriving on the 23rd to begin work on the 24th which will be the day you get your first test device. I usually stay in a hotel until I rent an apartment but I would rather have people to talk to, the shorter commute and less haste. _

_I hope to hear back soon. _

_Seliha._

"I cannot see an issue to Seliha staying with us given there is at least one free room."

"It would be a good use of a wasted room and I am sure you would appreciate her company Adastra. Why do you say only one room free though?"

"I am waiting to see what will happen after the shower." Adastra creates a message back to Seliha saying she is welcome to stay with them.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I did not hurt you did I?" Kate seeing that Fosanta is going purple where she had touched her.

"No Kate rather the opposite, why do you think that?" Fosanta a little confused as to why Kate's skin is going red.

"You are going purple where I touched you." Fosanta looks down at her body and arms which were starting to gain purple patches. "What is wrong?"

"You are not going to be pleased when you find out, look at yourself." Fosanta gestures to the mirror. Kate walks over and is shocked at what she sees.

"I am going red!" Kate looks at her arms and legs which are also changing colour. "Would you like to tell me what has happened?"

"I think Adastra should tell you as I am too embarrassed about the subject to. Lets get dressed and go down to see her, at least the colour will hide any embarrassment we have." The two of them laugh.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra gets a message on her Omni-tool. "Oh, Seliha says thank you for the house to stay in. She will be here in just under three days from now."

"That is good as I think we are going to need someone to defend us." Sam looking at the two well coloured people approaching.

"Very funny Adastra." Kate clearly non too pleased that her skin colour matches her hair colour reasonably well. Adastra just sat there as Sam tried to stifle a laugh.

"I feel highly embarrassed about this Adastra. I thought Kriana made you get rid of it after we had a brown Salarian walking around." Adastra couldn't help but laugh now.

"I could not throw it away, even though Kriana did give me a lecture on it being at least highly inappropriate, bordering on offensive. It is ok the colour change should only last about four hours as it is only half strength."

"What the hell is it anyway as Fosanta did not wish to say."

"Shower gel Kate." Sam laughs as Adastra gets a stare from the two coloured ones. "Ok, it is something that is only socially considered acceptable for use between bondmates. It is quite difficult to get hold of even if you are bondmates so that children cannot use it for jokes. At least if you feel embarrassed by that we cannot notice." Adastra still having a massive grin on her face as Sam goes a little red at the thought he helped in this.

"I am surprised you have not swapped out Sam's yet." Fosanta trying to take some of the awkwardness off her shoulders.

"I did mix about ten percent in to a bottle and give him that the first shower he had on-board the Enlighten. Surely you remember that morning?"

"Actually I do now, but why did you have a need to do that Adastra."

"I was interested to see what colour humans went when they used it." Fosanta and Kate just looked at Adastra. "Oh you mean today. I needed to see that you had actually interacted in the shower and not just said you had. I see by the purple patches on Fosanta's folds and hands that there was at least some. While I am also curious where else is purple, I will not ask."

"Good, promise me that you will not do that again." Fosanta setting the rules now.

"I will not as you are welcome to keep the rest of it for later, or dispose of it. I still have some left for some other time." Adastra grins as she has a new idea. "Will you trust me not to use it on you again?"

"You are going to have to say what your idea is else I am going to find where you are keeping it and then dispose of it." Kate having enough of the practical jokes. Sam makes a mental note to see if they sell clear plastic wrap anywhere sometime.

"Kate, Seliha has asked if she can stay with us for her time at the Illium facility. Since we are sharing rooms there is spare space so I thought it would be nice to have another face around. I hope that both of you are ok with that arrangement?" The pair nod but before they speak Adastra continues. "I would find it extremely interesting to see her purple."

"That is totally inappropriate Adastra, especially for someone you barely know."

"If I agree to shower at the same time as the shower gel is to be used will you agree?" Kate and Fosanta laugh at that notion, Sam joins in as he knows this is not a massive stretch. Adastra just has a serious look on her face.

"I doubt that will happen, Adastra." Fosanta clearly still stuck in the illusion that Adastra has only ever allowed one person to keep the memory of seeing her body.

"Adastra can I have a quick talk with you before you say anything else?" Sam asking Adastra who nods. "We will be right back." The two of them go to the basement to get a bit of privacy.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Adastra. Are you sure about going down this road as you will have to show Fosanta and Kate your body."

"As long as you can make sure that Kate, and more so Fosanta, will not say anything negative then I am sure that myself and Seliha can cover any fallout."

"I approve of you getting more confident Adastra. Did you say that she was arriving in three days?"

"Yes Sam. Are you thinking of me doing it that evening?"

"Well it would give enough time before work the following day for the colour to wear off. I am not sure Armali would approve." Adastra smiles.

"No they probably would not. We should get back to Fosanta and Kate."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"We are back." Sam announcing their arrival from the basement doorway as they make their way back to the seats. "I have something to ask though. Would you ever insult any Asari about markings on their body?"

"No Sam as I have only seen one and one is not enough to form a broad opinion."

"I am open minded at the concept but I highly doubt I will ever see one, given they are so rare and Adastra has a bit of a reputation for being defensive on the situation." Sam smiles and looks at Adastra next to him.

"Ok. If Seliha is up for it I will shower with her and use the gel without telling her. We will show you all the proof afterwards, markings and all. If you tell anyone about this there will be problems."

"You are really going to show us?" Kate obviously grasping the possibility from the threat at the end.

"Yes Kate. As I said, Seliha will also have to agree to this but the current plan is on the evening of the day she arrives."

"I will not tell anyone either but I do not believe that this is going to happen."

"It will happen if Adastra says it is going to happen Fosanta. You of all people here should know that." Sam looked back at Adastra who seemed to be writing a message right now.

Seliha,

We have already started a bit of a battle in the house and it is only our first day. I hate to ask you this but I had my hand forced. Would you be willing to have a shower together and show the other two your markings. I know it sounds mad and petty and it is, but I really need to show at least Fosanta that we are not shy, insecure and broken people.

Also would there be a chance of getting my development amp a day earlier than the testing stipulates as to pull this off I would need more than twenty minutes.

Hope to hear back shortly. Adastra.

"I seriously hope she comes through." Adastra wondering how she will take the request.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

After a bit of light teasing about the colour of Fosanta and Kate along with something to eat, Adastra gets a message.

_Adastra,_

_This sounds like it is just mad enough to make be forget how risky it is. As long as you can trust both of them not to say anything about this afterwards then that is ok for me. I was going to bring your test device when I came anyway so that is no problem. Ask Sam if he wants to join in._

_Seliha._

"You people who did not believe me. It has been confirmed, she also asks if you wish to join in too Sam." Adastra having a bit of a cocky grin on her face as Kate, Sam and Fosanta all have a you have got to be joking expression.

"She said yes?" Adastra just nodded to Fosanta as Usarta walked into the house to see the four of them on the seating area, two of them coloured.

"I see you are settling in ok." Usarta not knowing what to make of the two oddly coloured individuals.

"It is ok Usarta, it was my practical joke so do not go around telling anyone."

"Right." She did not sound too convinced. "All I am going to say is that we would like to see you at the Illium facility tomorrow morning at nine for a tour around." With a nod from everyone she started walking out taking a second look at the coloured pair and sighing before exiting the house.

"Well that was not embarrassing at all. Speaking of embarrassing are you going to join Seliha and Adastra Sam?"

"Thanks for that Fosanta. I will decide nearer the time as I do not want to steal Adastra's limelight." Sam waiting for a nudge or something from Adastra which never appeared.

"I doubt you will manage that Sam. Anyway I am going to get an early night." All of them being in agreement they decide it would be better to feel fresh for tomorrows tour.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>

**A practical joke is certainly a good way to settle in to a new home. In case anyone wishes to point out how the shower gel was swapped, Adastra had saved empty bottles from previously and had mixed some up for Sam. Which is why it was so handy when this was quickly thought of.**

**I apologise if it was a bit light on the interaction between Kate and Fosanta but the chapter length would have been too long and there will be plenty of that later.**

**The next chapter with the tour of Armali's Illium facility will be posted on the 14th April.**


	24. Chapter 24 : Bonding Tour

**Chapter 24 - Bonding Tour**

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday 21st January 2017<strong>

"I am so glad that I do not look like a cherry this morning." Kate voicing her thoughts as she looks in the mirror after a shower. "It was at least different and I did have fun."

"Did I just hear someone admit something in there." Fosanta shouting through from the bedroom. Kate sticks her head around the corner.

"What if I did?" Kate smiles and ducks behind the wall again. Appearing dressed a minute later through the door.

"I just did not expect you to enjoy it."

"I was too embarrassed and afraid at the time. Looking back though, it was quite fun and a bit different. I think we need to be going though." Fosanta nods and the two walk out of the room and down the stairs.

"Morning you two. You both look slightly less bright this morning." Sam still having a bit of a laugh at them.

"I really would like to see you cherry red for hours Sam."

"Can we discuss this after we have had our tour?" Adastra's Omni-tool beeps. "A message, I wonder who."

_Adastra, _

_I got the Armali Parts freighter from Thessia last night when I heard that you would be touring the facility today. I will be the one giving you a tour around along with Usarta. I have your prototype amp with me._

_Seliha_

"Oh guess who will be giving us the tour?" Adastra asks with a smile.

"Seliha." Sam getting it in one. "I wonder what we can do to make her happy this time." Sam adds getting a laugh from Adastra and a confused look from Fosanta and Kate.

"Yes, I recommend we take two shuttles." Fosanta nods in approval.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

It is not long before they walk out of the house and meet up with the commandos in the garden. After a short greeting they all board the two shuttles and depart for Armali's facility. It was not a long flight before they could see the round edged buildings appearing into view. There were four tall buildings in the complex looking nothing like the sprawling Thessia facility. One large footprint tower seemed to me more engineering work and one was obviously a shuttle park. The other two looked like small labs and offices from the outside but it was hard to tell.

"Fosanta this is Armali control, can you park on floor forty one. Usarta and Seliha will meet you there. Control out."

"Well that is nice they know who we are already."

"I think of that as a little creepy than nice." Kate not liking the big brother feel already.

Adastra had got the same message evidently as she was just ahead of Fosanta and was pulling up to get to forty one. It was a large parking area once they got there with quite a few spaces and Usarta and Seliha waiting by the lift. Everyone piled out of the shuttles and went over to meet the two waiting Asari.

"Welcome everyone to Armali Council's Illium facility. I hope you all had a good nights sleep." Everyone nods "Good follow me." With that everyone gets into the oversized lift and they start travelling down at a slow pace. "I am sure you have all met Seliha before if only briefly."

"I know that look Seliha." Adastra adding as she noticed the tired eyes.

"Yes but it is more the fact that freighter ships are not really designed for passenger comfort. At least I am here now though."

"I have a question already. Why are all the lifts all so slow?" Everyone excluding Kate looks puzzled, Kate nodding in agreement.

"You could make something faster?" Usarta seemingly wondering what was wrong with the current ones.

"Well on our home planet we had lifts that could travel two floors a second we are not even doing one every five." Sam did realise the floors were higher than a standard Earth floor to allow the shuttles easy entry but that was still slower.

"They are a bit annoying." Kate adding as the waiting continued.

"Well that is two items for my twenty percent free time now then." Sam added wondering how long it would be before a third appeared. Just before something else got on his nerves the door of the lift opened to show a long white corridor leading to a skybridge between two buildings.

"We will first take a tour of the biotics building, Fosanta this will be particularly relevant to yourself." Fosanta nods as the group proceed straight ahead to the biotics building.

"Who can I talk to about this communication issue that you are having with the pulsar amps Usarta."

"I can Fosanta. I did not know you were the person that the Armali Council were getting to fix the issue. I must apologise for not talking earlier." Sam looked out of the skybridge window feeling a touch of vertigo as he could see lots of skycars and shuttles passing underneath.

"That is ok Seliha, so what is the issue?" Fosanta not caring about the height at which they currently were. Kate was starting to become convinced that the bridge was moving slightly under her feet which was not inspiring confidence.

"Well the pulses from the amplifier mess entirely with the sensors in the systems and no amount of shielding helps. We were wondering if there is a smart way of recreating the data if we know the current state of the amplifier." The group pass through a reception area that is devoid of people, not surprising given it is a Saturday, and into yet another white corridor.

"It should be possible but will likely be difficult."

"I am glad to hear that it might be possible Fosanta as it is causing our testing teams such a headache. I am sure Adastra and Sam saw something like this room on Thessia but on a larger scale." Usarta opened a door and gestured the group inside. It was certainly much more compact and lacked much of the larger machinery.

"This room would have been useless for me."

"Indeed Adastra, your kind are not all that common for us. About four percent of individuals Armali see if I remember right." Seliha looks to Usarta who nods.

"I have a quick question. All the corridors are white around here, how do you know where you are?"

"While most floor layouts are the same and there are no real markings, the room numbers give it away. Rooms are numbered by floor and location so its fairly easy to find them and to work out where you are. You can learn your way around yourself or have someone teach you. I learnt myself and I was fine after about a month." Sam nods at Seliha for that full answer.

"This building is where we develop our less standard products such as the pulsar amplifier that you currently have Adastra. We also make out less standard line of Omni-tools here too which Adastra and Sam will get. Kate I know you currently do not have one and so you will be provided with a high quality standard design from Thessia."

"So the more obscure ones are more for maintenance engineers then?" Sam trying to figure out what makes them different.

"Yes Sam. They are developed more for work than personal use but suffice adequately at the latter to make them standard for all engineers. Fosanta you may need one too if you find your current one lacking." Fosanta nods and so does Sam. "I think we should continue on. Follow me." Usarta leads the group further down the corridor and around a corner to a lift which they have to split into two groups to take. Once regrouped several floors up they go through a large door to their left into an extremely large room. Inside the room there is a large amount of bulky equipment and a generous space in the centre that Adastra remembered as like the area in the test room on Thessia.

"This is one of four testing rooms for new biotic systems designs. Fosanta, your private lab will be about the size of the room we saw downstairs but is one floor above us. We unfortunately do not have enough time to go there today. It does however contain all the equipment you will likely need and you can make requests for additional test machinery if you need something more specialised."

"That sounds reasonable to me." Fosanta seemingly happy with being given essentially whatever she needs.

"I am guessing this is where I will be coming for the testing that I am entered for?"

"Yes Adastra this is where we do most of our testing, some however is done in rooms like we saw downstairs."

"Next up is the facilities offices, if you would care to follow me." The group took a door at the far side of the room and turned left. A short distance down the corridor they turn left into a stairwell. They all moved one floor down and nearly opposite the stairwell exit was another skybridge to another building. "If you feel the skybridge is moving then you would be correct, in high winds it can make walking seem funny."

"That does not sound like fun." Kate was not particularly liking how bad it was now let alone when it was particularly windy.

"You get used to it Kate." Seliha noting as they enter the building.

"This building we are entering now is where our finance, legal and personnel offices are located. It is also where we are intending to verify new clients for our propulsion products. We see all potential clients one at a time and there is usually a waiting list of a few months. This building has a private dock for clients to use." The group get in to two separate lifts and go up another five floors. They exit out onto yet another white corridor which has a couple of doors in its right hand side. Usarta opens one and gestures the group to enter. They enter into a large room with seating either side and a few plants in pots to break up the white walls.

"So this is where the clients get greeted?" Kate needing to work out where she will be working.

"Yes Kate, and the two rooms either side are where you will meet the clients. When you are currently not in a meeting then your office will be further down the hallway."

"I think we should head to the skylounge and take a break at this point." Usarta nods at Seliha to lead the way. They go back to the lifts and go upwards another three floors before taking a long corridor to the back of the building. "The skylounge is located on the uppermost floor of the propulsion products building and because of the buildings footprint being so large it can easily accommodate three hundred people at a time for food and refreshments."

Kate did not particularly like this even higher skybridge as it was almost all glass excluding a person wide strip down the middle of the floor which she was making sure she stayed in the middle of. That did not evade Usarta's attention. "The strip is only opaque glass Kate so it is no safer than the rest of the floor. It was added in for people such as yourself to make them a little more comfortable." Usarta giving Kate a small smile which seemed to amuse Sam.

The group entered the skylounge and there were possibly a hundred people currently sat at tables discussing various things, most of the room quietened down considerably as they noticed eight commandos and two previously unseen species walking towards an unoccupied area of seating towards the middle of the room. The group sit down and Usarta goes to get snacks and refreshments.

"I am sure you will be welcomed here once people have got to know who you are. It is not exactly usual for potential workers to be protected by commandos so I am assuming most of them are suspicious."

"I would be too. So why are you at the Illium facility for the next few months?"

"Well Fosanta, I was scheduled to be a part of the testing team for the next updates to our Nebula range of amplifiers. Some of the testing equipment at Thessia is being replaced currently because of its age so while they replace it most of the critical testing has been moved here."

"So the Nebula range is the more typical design then?"

"Yes Adastra, it has just become available in our standard 10mm amplifier range and we are currently testing designs which will be made available in about three years time."

"Seliha, mentioning that has just reminded me. I tried on Aumarva's old limiter the other evening and it caused my biotics to become unstable. I was curious as to why that might be?"

"That is interesting Lianta. The general rule is passive limiters work for normal constant power biotics, and I am guessing they did limit your potential, even if it was irregular." Lianta nods "The cause of this is the limiter is limiting the speed at which you can discharge the element zero nodes in your body. This can in people who have a biotic system that is dependant upon having fully discharged nodes, cause instability. I bet you also felt like to had a static charge on your body too."

"Yes it was a most unpleasant feeling. Thank you for the explanation." Seliha nods. The large windows on three sides gave a remarkably good view of the outskirts of the city to everyone as they had their refreshments.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"What is your assessment Iona?"

"Well I agree that your decision, while a little extreme, is warranted in this case. On the personal side she is remarkably defensive and I have not even seen a gesture of any kind from her, let alone any speech. It is very difficult therefore for me to grasp her intentions and to make a good assessment. While I would be hesitant to have her transferred to a more specialist facility, I would recommend however keeping that option open."

"Do you have anything else?"

"She seemed almost pained while I was in the room, as if my presence hurt her in some way. I cannot see her as being dangerous to anyone but there is something she is not comfortable with."

"I do apologise for bringing in someone else into this case? I hope you do not mind but I was asked to."

"Of course not Saymera. I feel she needs the extra help."

"I have been told it will be early next week when they will arrive. If you can keep her comfortable and try to help until then, it would be appreciated."

"I will Saymera."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I see everyone has finished so it would probably be best if we moved on." Usarta got a few nods others just getting up off their chairs as a sign they agree. The group walked to the one wall that did not have a glass window and there were several lift entrances. Taking two lifts they all travel down six floors into a large testing hall. On the floor were four large ion drives, one of them being prepared for testing in the middle of the room and the other three off to one side.

"This floor is for ion drive testing so I hope that it gives you some idea of how testing is done. Assembly uses a similar room layout below this floor." Usarta stated as they walked through the room staying inside the safe to walk in area markings on the floor. "Plasma propulsion uses a similar set-up for smaller products but larger thrusters are built inside the testing hall itself."

"Is that to reduce the movement needed Usarta?"

"Yes Adastra. While the lift we will take in a minute is large, it will not handle anything above a five metre diameter design." Adastra nods as everyone gets into said oversized lift at the back of the hall and Usarta pressed the button to travel down. "The floor we are going to now is our development section. Adastra and Sam, you will be based on this floor if you agree to work here." Everyone excluding Seliha exits onto a wide corridor which had six sets of double doors, three on either side on it. Usarta walks to the first set of doors on the left and waves the group in.

"These are our work areas, which allow two people space to make build and test everything excluding thrust which must be done on the testing floor." Adastra looked at Sam who just had a smile on his face. The size of the room was as large as the test room Adastra had been in on Thessia. This room however had no manufacturing machinery in and had a large empty floor space between the equipment and consoles at the back of the room and the doors where they were currently. "It looks like you two are pleased by the amount of space offered, There should be ample space for any side projects you wish to undertake in your free time if you so wish." Adastra nods but Sam has a burning question or two.

"If this is where we do all our work where do we get things manufactured?"

"There is a second room like this at the end of this corridor, in between the two is a manufacturing room which is shared between the two rooms to make better use of the equipment. We require all parts to be checked by a second person before manufacture to help reduce waste. We will not ask any questions about what is made if you have a legitimate use for it. If you give us a heads up on a project you wish to start then that is also covered." Sam could only nod his approval with a smile on his face. Seliha walks into the room carrying four datapads which she hands to each person.

"These datapads have a copy of your contract on. Please read through them carefully and sign them at the bottom." Kate looked at the length of the contract first noting it didn't seem excessively long and none of the text was small or ambiguous. With that she felt comfortable to begin reading from the beginning. Sam noticed a glaring loophole in favour of the council which he wished to clear up.

"Usarta, this contract is fine there is something which means I am not signing. Are we free to make amendments?"

"Sam, You are but I have to agree to the changes."

"I actually agree with Sam, that there is an item worrying me." Kate having just finished processing the chunk of data.

"Well edit it then Kate." Sam edits the document to remove the ability for Armali Council to change the contract details while the guaranteed five years of work are in effect. He also makes overtime pay double instead of fifty percent more. "Could you sign the pad at the bottom Usarta to agree to the changes I made." Usarta looks carefully at the document trying to find the two subtle changes that Sam had made.

"You changed the amount you get paid for overtime?" Usarta evidently not catching the subtle change to their ability to change the contract terms. Sam nods. With that Usarta signs the pad and hands it back to Sam who signs the pad and hands it back to Usarta.

"I thank you for this opportunity. Also in case the rest of you have not spotted the loophole in the agreement they can change the contract terms whenever they wish." Sam looks at Usarta who looks at the contract again, he helps the other three edit out the same loophole.

"I am impressed by you spotting that Sam. I will sign the rest of your contracts without looking if they are the same as Sam's." Usarta takes the datapad of each person and signs each of them to verify the changes before she passes them back. All of the group sign their pads and hand them back. "Your contracts start on Monday as it is Saturday today. Seliha, you may leave after taking the datapads back as you look tired. If you would all like to follow me back."

"Myself and Sam will wait for you in the shuttle Seliha." Seliha nods as all of them get in to the lift. After what seemed like ages the lift stops.

"I will see you shortly." Adastra nods as the doors close.

"I thank you Sam for telling me about that clause." Fosanta evidently just processed the magnitude of the loophole as the lift continued.

"I also have to thank you as well." Adastra just finishing her sentence as the doors open and they all walk towards the skyway that is visible down at the end of the corridor in front of them.

"That is no problem Fosanta, same goes for you Adastra. I could see them abusing that ability after a month."

"I was thinking they might have waited a little longer than that." Kate talking as she was carefully walking along another skybridge to the docking building as if it was going to try and throw her off. Usarta seemed a little uncomfortable with this conversation but said nothing. After walking down a long corridor and turning left they were back to the lift where they had started their tour.

"I wish you all a good weekend and I will see you all on Monday." Everyone nods and Usarta then walks off leaving the group to get into the lift and go back to where the shuttles were parked.

"You know we must have wasted ten minutes in slow lifts just in this tour."

"Sam, I know you get annoyed by them but can you keep it to yourself." Kate evidently just needed a sit down and something to eat now, either that or she really dislikes the skybridges. After a few more minutes of thumb twiddling the lift stops and they all vacate the lift.

"We will see you back at the house." Fosanta obviously keen to get going. Adastra and Sam nod and Fosanta, Kate and their commandos all left to go back to the house as the rest of them wait for Seliha to appear.

"I hope you do know how to tell if the shower gel has been changed Adastra. They have the time now to swap it while we are not in the house." Sam clearly thinking in terms of payback.

"I can tell the difference with the purple stuff so I am glad I used that now."

"What are you two on about?"

"Hymara, we have a war of practical jokes going on in our house already. I fear that we could be looking at payback." She shakes her head. "I guess you are all professionals and never have fun?"

"We have fun Sam, just not by being silly though."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Kate do you think I should trust Adastra to use the rest of the stuff sensibly."

"Fosanta I think she will be more careful, although I do not quite know how Seliha will take it. It is a privilege for Adastra to offer to let us though." Kate trying to keep her voice down and be vague to keep the commandos from hearing anything.

"True. Before I go digging to find it I will ask Seliha myself if she said yes, Adastra might be lying." Kate nods.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Seliha comes out of the lift with an autonomous fork lift following. "I thought it was easier than carrying everything in boxes." The group make their way to the shuttle with the machine following behind. Sam laughing at the use of a fork lift.

"So you put everything on a pallet to make it easier to lift?"

"No Sam, the freighter I took would only let goods travel if they were palletised." Adastra opens the door to the shuttle. Everyone gets in and then the fork lift carefully places the pallet in the centre of the shuttle before heading back to the lift. Imphaya closes the door and Adastra sets off back home.

"So that fork lift knows where it is going?" Sam curious as to how they work.

"Yes Sam. It is mostly used for us loading and unloading parts, or moving equipment but I decided I should borrow one. It will go back to where it should be now." Seliha clearly a bit confused as to why Sam seems so interested. Sam says nothing further until they get back to the house.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra, Sam and Seliha walk through the front door of the house each carrying something in their arms. "Seliha could do with some help if you two are just sitting there." Fosanta nods

"Sure Sam." Kate wondering when would be the best time to ask about tonight.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

It is not too long before the five of them had unloaded the pallet and had taken to sitting on the seats in the seating area.

"This is a very nice house you have got."

"I am not sure that we own it Seliha, although I agree." Fosanta happy at its size and space.

"So what is happening this afternoon?" Seliha wondering how tired she is going to be.

"We have not really got any plans as we did not know how long the tour would last. At least there are no silly plans set for today."

"It was not silly Fosanta. It did make you two interact." Adastra seemingly a little defensive but having a smile on her face.

"Is this what started the war which I seem to have become a part of already?" Seliha looking towards Adastra who seems more amused by the prank than wanting to answer.

"Yes sorry about that Seliha."

"That is no problem Sam, I will shower with Adastra. Have you made up your mind as to whether you are going to join us?"

"You agreed to shower with Adastra?" Seliha nods but does not have a smile on her face to sell her serious story. "You do know of her reputation?"

"Yes I do Fosanta. I am assuming that because she offered I would be fine." Adastra nods.

"Could we talk Fosanta." She nods in agreement and the pair of them go upstairs.

"What is that about?" Seliha looks at Sam who shrugs, she then turns her gaze towards Kate. "I am guessing you are on Fosanta's side in this?" Kate nods. "Ok then, when do you want this to happen?" Sam was not expecting that and neither, seemingly, was Kate.

"Errm. Adastra did say your first night but that was meant to be tomorrow..."

"This evening it is, that means you have a couple of hours if that to decide Sam." Fosanta and Adastra appear from upstairs.

"Did I hear someone keen to get this done?" Adastra smiling as Fosanta sits back down next to Kate.

"Where did you go?"

"We were arranging where Kate and Fosanta should see us Seliha."

"Where would that be Adastra?"

"Your top floor room Kate, unless you have any objections. I do not wish to go downstairs as there are too many windows."

"You do not seem that bothered about this Seliha, even though you barely know Adastra?"

"Kate, I am sure someone has told you that Asari are fairly comfortable with showing others their bodies." Kate nods remembering when Fosanta had said that in the showers on-board the Enlighten.

"I am ready for a shower now to be fair, do you want to wait Seliha?"

"No that sounds ok for me." Adastra and Seliha start walking out of the room, Adastra turns to look at Sam.

"Sam are you coming along?" Sam reluctantly gets up off the comfy chair and joins them to go upstairs.

"How about we get a drink and wait for them upstairs Kate?" Fosanta putting her arm around Kate

"That sounds like a good idea." Kate smiling before they head to the kitchen.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Seliha, Adastra and Sam all go in to the spare room which they lock behind them. Adastra walks through the bathroom locking its outer door along with their bedroom before coming back with a bottle of shower gel.

"Seliha I need you to use this shower gel. I am telling you that it will make you purple for eight hours now as I feel bad about springing this on someone I do not know well."

"That is ok Adastra I like the purple one." Seliha goes a little purple at that admission. Adastra looks shocked and Sam just laughs.

"Why am I not surprised by that. So if I am joining you what colour am I getting or are we just going for purple and red."

"It would look horrible mixing more than one colour, sorry Sam. I do have green and blue we can try another day if you want."

"I will be up for that. You do realise that it is going to be a tight fit to get three in the shower? It is not exactly the most spacious one I have ever seen." Sam thinking practically, Seliha walks to the bathroom door and looks at the size of the shower space.

"It will be fine I am sure Sam. Adastra are we removing holders and everything?"

"I need to swap the amp to give me two hours instead of twenty minutes. I will be back in a moment." Adastra leaves to go to her own bedroom to take the old amp out and put the new one in. While in the room she also removes her clothes putting them on the bed before going back. "I think the text colour is perfect this time." Adastra smiling as she turns around to show the other two.

"Yes I made it a little more blue after I had the opportunity of having a better look at your markings the other day."

"It looks good, it is going to be fun to get you out of that holder though." Adastra nods to Sam and removes the amp. With help from the other two, Adastra manages to get the holder off reasonably quickly.

"Why am I waiting for you two?" Adastra says with a smile. Sam takes all of twenty seconds to pull everything off and dump it all in an unceremonious pile on the floor.

"We will be done by the time you get in there." Sam joking trying not to be embarrassed by Seliha seemingly more surprised at what Sam looks like than she was at Adastra. "Seliha. You can look when we are in there." Seliha seemed to wake up with that.

"My apologies Sam. This must be what others feel like when they see us." Sam is a bit curious as to why she makes no further comment but the awkwardness stops him asking. Seliha takes her clothes off and places them carefully on the bed to reveal a holder of the same design as Adastra's. Adastra laughed at the fact it was transparent as well.

"I see you liked Sam's idea of transparent so much you used it yourself."

"Yes. It was a good idea. I used to have a blue one with purple bands in roughly the right place and I was never quite happy with it." Seliha takes out her amp which is blue with purple text and puts it on the bed.

"Do you need a hand getting it off?"

"If you would not mind then yes Sam. I have never found a quick way for a single person to get out of this design short of cutting it off." Adastra and Sam help Seliha out of the holder which, with three of them helping, does not take long at all. They all then head in to the bathroom, Seliha with the coloured gel, Sam and Adastra with standard.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"It is taking them a while. I wonder what they are doing?" Fosanta idly making conversation to pass the time.

"I do not want to know Fosanta... Now I have mental images I really did not want, Thank you for that." Fosanta smiles.

"I can always remove them later if they are that bothersome."

"No, I think I can cope. Just try not to infer anything else please." Fosanta nods to Kate and goes back to daydreaming.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"How are we going to cover ourselves?" Seliha and Adastra look thoughtful for a few seconds before Adastra has an idea.

"I am sure we can all fit under a double duvet." Sam and Seliha trailing behind Adastra in to their room where she has already whipped it off the bed knocking her clothes onto the floor. They all get under and cover up before opening the door and heading up the stairs.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am starting to think Adastra has had second thoughts."

"Actually I am too. I am going to give them another five minutes and then go for something to eat."

"No do not do that yet, it will be worth the wait," they hear from the stairs. It is a bit of a sight to see two purple Asari and a red human wrapped in a bed sheet as they walk through the door, so much so Fosanta and Kate start laughing.

"I would not laugh too much as you may make Adastra unhappy." Sam trying to quell the laughter as his face tries to go redder than it already is.

"You are so red Sam its ridiculous."

"Well at least it is impossible for anyone to see how embarrassed I am, which I must note is very. Are you two ready for a shock?"

"It really cannot be much more of a shock than what you all look like now so yes."

"Yes Sam." Sam looks at the two Asari either side giving them a nod. The duvet drops and the pair suddenly go quiet each of their faces going slightly paler.

"I would say that was a definite surprise." The three of them having massive grins on their faces as Kate and Fosanta look like someone had pressed the pause button.

"Oh wow." Kate just about managing to get her brain started again. "I did not expect that at all. That would explain why you were so friendly to each other." Adastra switches places with Sam and puts her arms around the pair of them.

"Goddess." Fosanta was still seemingly trying to make sense of everything. "This should not be happening."

"You can come closer if you want, just do not touch please." Seliha was fairly comfortable but not that comfortable. Adastra and Sam nodded to that as it was already fairly awkward. Kate helped Fosanta up and the pair got a bit closer.

"I hope that you do not mind Adastra but I like Seliha's markings more. However both of you still look beautiful and should be proud of your bodies. All the people who have given you negative comments previously are wrong about everything. If I had those markings I would take extra care over them, please do the same for yours as it would be a great shame for them to be tarnished." Adastra and Seliha nod to Kate their smiles diminished notably.

"This is so confusing to me as you are all different to what I expected. I feel truly honoured to be able to see you all as you are all so unique in your own way. Sam the amount of hair you have on your legs is surprising to say the least, that could however be fairly normal for your species. I feel sorrow for you two that you have had to suffer ridicule and torment just because of your markings. You should never feel unhappy in your own body especially when they are as different as yours."

"I do not see a couple of Asari with watery eyes do I?" Adastra and Seliha shake their heads at Sam but a tear runs down Adastra's face giving it away and it was not too long before Seliha eventually gave in too. Sam gives each of them a hug after they have hugged each other.

"I have been so frightened about this all day, you really would not believe. I did not sleep at all last night after committing myself with that message. This means so much more to us than you can truly understand so I cannot thank you enough for your kind words."

"I do not think we could ever thank you enough, for trusting me, and giving us both positive words about something we have felt to be nothing but a curse all our lives. Please though keep what you now know to yourselves, otherwise we will have to do something about it." Kate and Fosanta nod.

"I think we could do with getting dressed and getting something to eat." Adastra and Seliha nod to that and the three of them leave, Sam with the duvet over his shoulder.

"I do not think I have ever been so surprised at anything in my whole life." Fosanta barely waiting a few moments after the three of them had left before speaking up.

"Which is saying something given your age. What are the chances of that occurring, about one in a billion?" Kate just wildly guessing at a silly large number.

"I would say it was unlikely there were more than twenty individuals alive with that condition in the galaxy. So that was a tenth of the whole population of marked Asari, therefore I would assume your guestimate is probably a little on the low side." Kate nods not particularly caring her guess was low.

"I feel we should at least make them some food for when they get downstairs."

"I agree with that." Kate nods and the two of them go down to the kitchen to make something.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Fosanta made a mental note to get some less basic food tomorrow as everyone sat down at the dining room table to eat. The five of them see Yasmari, Swathana, Selayla and Kalawa walk past the window.

"This is going to be so embarrassing." Sam putting his head in his hand.

"I actually agree with you, Sam. Are we just going to tell them everything excluding what happened after Adastra?"

"I do not see us having much of an option." Adastra getting her thoughts out just before the front door opened and the four of them walk in. Adastra Seliha and Sam were obscured from view when you looked from the front door.

"I hope we are not interrupting anything we just came to see how Seliha was..." Selayla stopped short as she got to the doorway to the dining room and seeing the three dyed individuals.

"Settling in." Kalawa finished her sentence given Selayla was blocking the view the other three were confused at this sudden stop. "What is wrong Selayla?"

"I thought that this might happen between yourself and Sam sometime but Seliha as well? After only knowing her four days?"

"You four have to keep this quiet." The four of them nod. "I have the same condition as Adastra."

"You are joking."

"No Kalawa." Sam leaving the answer brief to show that he is serious.

"How would you know for definite Sam?" Swathana seemingly having a bit of an off moment.

"You have to trust me and given I am red and these two are purple I think its fair bet I am telling the truth." Swathana nods an acceptance of her mistake.

"I could do with going to bed early as I have not slept much in thirty eight hours."

"Could I have a chat before you go to bed Seliha?"

"Of course Sam, I am guessing you would like to come along too Adastra?" Adastra nods. "Goodnight everyone."

"Have a good sleep Seliha." Kate being the only one to say anything everyone else just nodding. The three of them head out of the door and up the stairs.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

They go into Sam and Adastra's room and each of them take a seat on the side of the bed.

"So what was it you wished to talk about Sam?"

"You are the only one of our group who does not currently understand Kate and my native language. It is quite handy that it does not exist in any translators and none of the commandos know it. If you would like to learn then I am more than happy to let you."

"I must warn you it is a strange language if you wish to learn." Adastra still finding the rules a bit too flexible for her liking.

"I would really appreciate that Sam." A smile on her face giving away her happiness at being treated as one of the group.

"Could I ask you not to go digging through anything you do not need." Seliha looks a little confused.

"Seliha, humans cannot sense what we are looking through, if it is minor, unless we ask them deliberately. I was lucky I was cautious the first time."

"I understand now. I will ask if I am unsure of anything Sam." Sam nods and gets comfortable on the bed. "Sam, close your eyes and find that mental bridge between you and I. Build it stronger, make it more substantial. Embrance eternity."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam from his desk sees Seliha appear through the door. "Hello Seliha."

"Hello Sam. I see you have got a basic grasp of melding." Seliha looks around at the warm library that is spread out in front of her. "It is a nice collection you seem to have, where would I find the language information." Sam gets up and walks towards the first isle and Seliha follows.

"This and the next two sets of shelves is everything you should need. If you need anything else then just ask." Seliha nods and gets down to taking the information as Sam walks back to his desk in front of the fire. It is only a couple of minutes before Seliha reappears.

"I found a couple of things that are not clear but I can ask you later about those." Sam tries to quickly think what is missing.

"Oh, you are missing human biology and culture. Second isle, forth set of shelves on the right, third row down." Seliha nods and sets off. Sam remembers she could use the jokes and puns information too so he does down the third isle to find the three books on that before making copies and returning to the desk with them. Sam barely sits down before Seliha emerges from the second isle.

"That makes more sense now, thank you Sam."

"That is no problem, these three books could also be helpful." Sam holds out three books for Seliha to take.

"I appreciate this gesture Sam. A quick question, would you mind if I slept with you and Adastra?"

"As long as you do not kick me out of the bed then I am ok with that Seliha." She nods with a smile before walking out of the door.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam went to hold his head. "Oh my brain feels like it is going bad."

"I am sorry about that Sam. You will find it becomes less of a strain the stronger the connection is between you and the person doing the melding."

"I think it gets better with general practice as well as it is no where near as bad as the last time I had a headache. I will be fine soon." Seliha nods.

"Adastra are you fine with me sleeping here with you and Sam?" Adastra looks at Sam.

"It is your decision as I have already given my opinion. If you want to know I can see no issue with it." Adastra smiles at that.

"I see no problem with that either Seliha. If you try and get to sleep in the middle we will try not to wake you later."

"Thank you." Adastra and Sam nod. Sam manages after getting up off the bed to stand and walk roughly straight towards the door with Adastra keeping a close eye on him from behind.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The commandos sit down and have a bit of something to eat before continuing their chat.

"I think Seliha is lying as well, the chances of her having the same condition as Adastra has are astronomical." Selayla having a serious look on her face. Kate and Fosanta now knew exactly what Sam felt like when he was keeping information quiet.

"All three of them were coloured, also I think Sam has also seen her before today as well. I can think of no reason why they would lie."

"It would also explain how Adastra was fine having a shower with her. I mean how many people have had the privilege of being able to retain memories of her markings."

"Not many at all Fosanta." Adastra's voice appearing from the doorway. Sam just about managed to avoid running into the door frame after Adastra shouting made him break his concentration. He pulls out a chair and sits down facing Yasmari.

"That is better. I really do not like that side effect as it makes doing anything difficult."

"Should I ask Sam?"

"I gave some information to Seliha. That is all I wish to say for now Kate."

"I am going back to our house as I have no idea how Seliha can be such good friends so quickly."

"Kalawa, we have said why. Also she is sleeping in our bed tonight. If you can figure out how that would make sense without her having the same condition please tell me." Sam with a smile on his face as she walks out.

"That was a bit mean Sam."

"I am sorry Yasmari but anything I could use to prove what I am saying is true would get my mind melted. Actually..." Sam seems to have a light bulb moment. "I will see if I can give you all proof tomorrow, there are no guarantees though."

"We will be interested in that. Come and tell us to come round when you are ready." Sam nods and the three commandos leave the house.

"What are you thinking Sam?"

"I do not think Seliha would mind showing the commandos a tiny glimpse of one of her ankles. I will ask of course." Adastra nods in approval.

"I would be a bit sceptical at a small look especially with time to prepare but it is better than nothing."

"That is what I was thinking Fosanta. Does anyone know if there are any games around here?"

"As far as I know, no Sam." Sam looks disappointed at that response. The four of them discuss what to do tomorrow and come to the conclusion that there is only a bit of shopping that is a necessity. Adastra suggests a trip to Eternity could be an idea as well.

It is two hours after Seliha had gone to bed when everyone else decides to turn in for the night. Adastra and Sam had still not started fading as the pair of them went upstairs to bed.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**An extra length chapter of two halves. First half being the tour of Armali's Illium facility, the second Kate and Fosanta getting their unique opportunity. Also the odd paragraph is back after thirteen chapters, which gives us two names and an assumption this is to be revealed soon.**

**Next chapter will be posted on the 21st April.**

**A thank you to everyone reading and hopefully enjoying the story. Feedback is always welcome.**


	25. Chapter 25 : Settling Illium

**Chapter 25 - Settling Illium**

* * *

><p><strong>Sunday 22nd January 2017<strong>

Seliha and Adastra had awoken early after the early night. Sam was still seemingly trying to sleep off the headache and so stayed asleep while the two of them got out of the bed and went downstairs.

"I am guessing that you discussed last night what to do today?"

"Well Seliha the only things we need to do is to get a few things and possibly make a trip to eternity."

"When I have been to Illium before I tended to make a trip to eternity on weekends as it is practically dead during the week."

"I was thinking that might be the case. We also had a small issue with the commandos not believing you had the same condition as I have. Sam was going to ask you if they could see one of your ankles just to prove you have markings."

"Only if I can make it a different colour first."

"I do not see it making any difference if it is the wrong colour. I have green left which I think would make your markings brown." Seliha smiles and nods.

"As long as you do not use any on us then I have no problem with that decision." Fosanta walking into the kitchen area where Adastra and Seliha had been talking whilst snacking. Kate did not take long to appear either.

"You seem to be getting along well with Sam Seliha." Kate noting the fact that they melded on the previous evening and had a shower together.

"Kate, melding for information only implies a level of trust, nothing more." Kate looks unconvinced as Seliha turns to Adastra. "Also unless something were to happen I do not think it could ever go further." Seliha didn't look unhappy at that but certainly had no smile.

"What go further?" Sam walking into the kitchen, seemingly still a little sleepy.

"You seem to be getting on well with Seliha Sam."

"You make it sound like it is a problem Kate." Everyone stays quiet. "It was a friendly shower and the blue ones were very respectful in where they went touching. The connection was just to teach Seliha English since she is staying with us a while. I cannot see there being any problem here. Am I missing something?" Sam looking a little quizzically at Adastra.

"You do not think there is a problem?" Kate still digging as the three Asari stand there with no obvious hints that everything is ok.

"As I stated Kate, I can see no problems, if you think there is one at least tell me what it is." Sam was a little annoyed at this cryptic message business.

"Sam I do not agree with you essentially dating two women at once."

"That is clearer now Kate even though you know what I was told." Sam sighs. "Could I have a talk with you two?" Adastra and Seliha nod and follow Sam to the basement. The three of them descend the stairs and Sam finds a suitably strong box to sit on.

"What is it you need to ask Sam?" Adastra wanting to get this settled as quickly as possible.

"I have only one question. Do you two think it is a problem?" Seliha looks at Adastra, both shake their heads and smile.

"No Sam. You have always been there when I have needed you. I hope I can do the same for you."

"I know we have only known each other for a few days but you have already welcomed me warmly into everything you and Adastra have done. If you do not wish me to be there then I understand."

"Seliha, I need to warn you about some advice I received first. I got told I must be careful not to be blinded or I will not appreciate the dim flicker. Now I have no problems at all with sleeping together and messing around with the coloured gel but, I would like to keep my eye open for that flicker."

"So you would like to be separate Sam?" Adastra sounding a little down.

"You said back on Earth that we were acquaintances, I think we went way past that ages ago and are nearer best friends. Do either of you two have a problem with being best friends?"

"Would you have a problem with myself and Adastra ever being bondmates Sam?"

"As long as you are still around then I would have no issues with it. Do you feel this would work ok Adastra?"

"Actually it would be better than each of us having two bondmates, it tends to end badly. I perfectly understand where you are coming from Sam." Sam nods.

"I have actually forgotten to ask in all this chaos when your birthday is Adastra, I hope it has not already gone."

"It is next Friday Sam." Sam breaths a sigh of relief and his expression grows happier.

"I am glad that I have not missed your birthday. I must ask you Seliha, how this will work with Adastra if you have to go back to Thessia in three months time."

"I had not thought about that." She seems to ponder something for a few moments. "I will see if I can get moved to Illium permanently on Monday."

"I am really glad we could talk this through in a productive manner and get a positive outcome for everyone." They have a quick hug before going back to the kitchen.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra, Sam and Seliha walk back into the kitchen to find Kate and Fosanta still there.

"Kate. All of us just wish to be friendly with each other, no one is forcing anyone else into anything. If you still think it is a problem please meld with Fosanta or something." Kate goes a little sheepish and nods. "Fosanta do you have any problem with this?" Sam goes digging in the cupboards to find something that is edible out of the packet.

"Sam, I just need to warn you that these kind of relationships usually end in mental issues for one of the three involved."

"Who ever said anything about relationships?"

"You and Adastra are not bondmates?" Fosanta looking to Adastra who shakes her head. "My apologies to you both and I see nothing wrong in that case."

"Glad that was cleared up. Fosanta, best friends is as far as it is to go between myself and these two." Fosanta nods seemingly a little happier. "Is the plan still to go to Eternity tonight?" Adastra and Seliha nod as Fosanta and Kate look at each other.

"I would like to go Kate but not without you."

"I was thinking of not going to be honest." Seliha decides now would probably be a good idea to tell everyone.

"Kate, If you are not going just because of us being in a bit of a three way friendship then you need to see the bigger picture. Illium law allows slavery which I am sure you have stronger feelings about. I however would not be where I am today if that was not the case." Everyone looks a little shocked at that. "It was not the best time of my life as my mother had not long died and I had no other way of earning as I could not be a stripper in a bar or something similar. So I ended up taking a twenty five year contract with the Armali council who agreed to give me a university grade education which added another twenty years, somewhere to live which added another five and a twenty credits a day."

"That is appalling Seliha, especially the pay, given we are going to get one hundred and fifty an hour. How can they get away with that?"

"On every other Asari world they cannot. Illium is special in that it is the gateway into the terminus systems where there are no laws. So for Illium to be able to compete for trade, laws had to be relaxed, slavery was one. That pay however was highly generous given that some employees pay their indentured servants nothing or a couple of credits as a token gesture. The Armali Council, fortunately for me, treat their workers well even if they are in an indentured servitude contract."

"Why did you stay with the Armali Council after the contract expired?"

"They gave me a chance at having a normal life which no one else had done and the job itself is good. So after the contract ended I got transferred to the Thessia facility which meant I then got a proper, decent wage and an interesting job even if it did mean having to travel to various places for up to six months at a time."

"Well that was a revelation." Sam was surprised but it did not come as entirely unexpected.

"I thought you should all know, especially yourself and Adastra. Kate are you going to come to Eternity with us tonight?" Kate nods. "I am happy you have changed your mind."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Everyone excluding Adastra, Fosanta, Kalawa and Aumarva are outside by the pond. It is a sunny day with just a bit of dappled shade provided by the small leaved trees to keep everyone cool. The four that are not around the pond had left to get various items and some better food from Nos Astra.

"What is everyone's plans for today?" Imphaya seemingly a bit bored at sitting around just watching the fish.

"We were going to go to Eternity this evening." Kate looking up briefly from watching the fish.

"Well that will be interesting." Selayla seemingly knowing something everyone excluding Seliha doesn't know given the sea of blank faces. "If we stay there a while I can nearly guarantee nearly all of us will have had someone try and hit on us. It is going to be fairly difficult to maintain security."

"I am sure you have earnt one drink for putting up with us." Sam looking to Hymara and Lianta.

"Only one Sam?"

"Very funny Hymara. Seriously though is it going to be that bad tonight?"

"You two will probably have someone try it. I think Yasmari will be ok and possibly Adastra."

"I bet you a hundred I will Selayla." Yasmari feeling a little insulted with that comment.

"Please do not start that, we did the same two days ago and we all ended up bright red or purple for the trouble." Selayla, Swathana and Yasmari laugh at that, the other three look puzzled. "Do you do not talk to each other in the house? I am surprised that news was not the first to be spread."

"We were not told about you being bright red Sam." Imphaya turned to look at Seliha "We did however hear the rumour that you have the same condition as Adastra. Is that true?" Seliha nods. "Does anyone here know that for definite?" A shuttle reappears to land in Adastra's parking space.

"Sam and Adastra, given I slept with them both last night." Kate just rolls her eyes. "Oh and I know about Sam saying he would ask if I would show you proof. I would like to give you all a small look when they are not their normal colour if that is ok with you all."

"Well that is the best we can hope for really. All we have ever seen of Adastra is the few marks on her hands."

"And that is all you are going to see Lianta." Adastra walking along the path by the side of the pond toward the house with a couple of boxes in her hands. Fosanta not far behind with several bags.

"Is there anything else that needs taking in?"

"Yes Sam there are a few more boxes and bags just take the stuff on the left." Everyone decides it would be best to leave the fish alone and help with carrying in the recently purchased goods. The commandos quickly removed their goods from the shuttle to their house leaving only a couple of boxes for Adastra to make a second trip to the shuttle for. Once all the edible stuff had been packed away they all moved to the seating area.

"What is in the boxes then?"

"There are four inverters in this box to let you run your stuff that you both brought with you. There is a console in this box for Seliha, in this one there are a few essentials such as toilet roll etc. and I am not going to say what is in the small box at the end other than if anyone touches it I will break their arms."

"Adastra, can you drop the threatening shell around your warm personality please?"

"I am sorry Sam. It will take time for me to fully accept not everyone will hurt me." Adastra opens the first box and pulls out two of the inverters.

"So they will provide power for our equipment?" Adastra nods and Kate suddenly seems to get exited. "Hair straighteners! If we are going out I could really do with getting them working." Sam sighs. "What Sam?" Kate giving him a bit of a cold stare.

"Nothing, I just personally think you look better with a bit of a wave in your hair." Kate seems to warm up the stare a little but does not give any sign of an approval.

"Is there room in the top room for me to set-up the console?"

"Yes Seliha as my computer will live in the basement. I am sure I can find something to put it on until I work out some worktops or something down there."

"Kate your two boards are there and I am sure Fosanta would help you fit and set them if you need help." With that Kate gets up and takes the two boxes as Fosanta follows her upstairs.

"Are you going to tell us what is in the small box Adastra?"

"No, I need to ask if either of you two have a problem of having a shower again but this time using green before we go out?"

"Errm.. If I work this out right that means I would end up highlighter yellow. Is there the possibility of me having a shower with the blue first and then joining in with the green as that would mean I would also be green rather than yellow."

"I think that is a good idea Sam, what do you say Adastra?"

"I like that idea. I however think it is getting towards lunch time."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am really pleased you got these inverters Adastra, I only need one to run everything down here." Sam putting the bare wires into the connectors on the inverter.

"They are mostly scrap products usually from old ships. I picked up these four as they looked unused and they were identical." Sam plugs the board into the house supply and presses the on button on the computer.

"It lives." Sam with a grin on his face the two Asari with a smile, Seliha particularly interested in what is happening.

"It takes a long time to load." Seliha used to nearly instant on items being a little impatient.

"Welcome to old technology Seliha where everything took time." Seliha nodded still intrigued by the system. "Would you both like to watch a film?"

"I would quite like that Sam." Seliha nods. "Something that we should be able to follow would be nice."

"I am sure I have something here which is suitable." Sam scrolling through the files. "Oh. You might like this one. Ice Age."

"If you think so Sam." Sam plays the film and the three of them sit on the pallet Seliha used to bring her items to Thessia.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I wonder who that would be at the door at this time of the afternoon on a Sunday." Fosanta goes to the door to find Usarta standing there.

"Good afternoon Fosanta. Is Sam around as I have something which I have to discuss with him."

"I will go and get him, make yourself comfortable on the seats." Fosanta goes down into the basement to see Adastra, Seliha and Sam sat on a pallet watching a small screen on a box in front of them. "Sorry to disturb you." Sam pauses the video and looks around. "Usarta is here and would like to talk with you Sam."

"You two can keep watching if you want, I have seen this countless times before." The pair nod and Sam un-pauses the video before leaving with Fosanta.

"Hello Usarta, what brings you here at this time on a Sunday?"

"Sam I just came here to give you some information. The first of which the council will support you in this line of work if you wish to continue it at a later date."

"What work? I have no idea what you are on about."

"I am guessing you have yet to read your messages?" Sam nods in a little confusion. "I would suggest you do so after we have finished."

"I am still confused but go on." Sam actually sitting down now on a chair.

"Second is we will allow you to take any days you work as half pay days instead of holiday time since it is for a good cause."

"Can you give me any more information at all?"

"All I know is I have had a request to allow you to travel to Thessia on Tuesday for an unspecified length of time. It is for a charitable organisation called Galactic Acceptance who aim to help sufferers of various mental and physical problems. That is however the extent of what I know, sorry Sam. People do not trust Illium's total surveillance."

"I will go and read my messages now to try and make sense of it. Thank you for taking your time on a weekend to tell me this." With that Sam goes into his top floor room and turns on one of the three consoles. After a minute of working out how to use the thing he gets to his messages. There is just one sitting in the inbox which he opens.

_Sam,_

_I hear you are settling in well on Illium. I have something which you may be able to help me with. Usarta will explain a few things later to you but Galactic Acceptance are currently trying to provide support to an individual who I feel you are in a better position to help. If you wish to do this someone you know will meet you at Nos Astra space port, near dock sixty seven, at nine in the evening on Monday. Your security can make sure you board the shuttle safely but you must make the trip on your own. You will be told what is to happen only once you are in transit to Thessia._

_Stay safe._

_You know who._

Sam reread the message just to make sure that he had not missed something important before logging out and shutting the console down.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Usarta had left by the time Sam had arrived back down stairs. Adastra and Seliha had appeared from the basement after the film had ended to see where Sam had got to.

"That film was rather good Sam." He nods to Adastra. "You look confused. Is everything alright?"

"I have got a message from you know who which makes no sense at all."

"Nothing new there then." Adastra clearly getting who Sam was talking about, Seliha looked a little confused though now.

"You know who?" Sam leans closer to Seliha.

"The Consort." Seliha gets a knowing smile on her face.

"Was it your appointment date and time?" Seliha mocking but the smile still on her face said it wasn't serious.

"I do not need an appointment to see her Seliha." Seliha seemed to be a little shocked by that and her smile seemed to disintegrate rather quickly. "No it was just a message. I could do with Kate and Fosanta being here." Adastra walks into the kitchen and drags both of them from around the table out to the seating area.

"What do you want Sam?"

"I need to say this to everyone. I will be leaving here late tomorrow evening to go to Thessia."

"Why Sam?"

"The reason I was given Kate was I am deemed the most suitable person to help someone. It said I would be told more on the way but it will be a bit late to tell you all then. Before anyone asks it said I must go alone." Sam saw the question on Adastra and Seliha's lips disappear with that last addition. "Sorry but it is not my rules."

"So was that why Usarta was here?" Fosanta still trying to work out why she would visit on a Sunday.

"She came to tell me that Armali will pay me half, for the time I am away, as it is for a good cause. I pressed her for more information but she knew nothing else."

"Do you know how long you will be away?" Adastra seemingly wondering the same thing as Sam.

"I will ask before I leave but I will try everything I can to make sure I am back for your birthday Adastra. If I cannot for whatever reason I will try and make arrangements for you to meet me or something." Adastra seemed happier at that as did Seliha for some odd reason. "I think we should all be thinking of getting ready to go out this evening."

"You have a point Sam as it takes a while to straighten hair." Kate smiling a little. Sam sighs and shakes his head as he walks towards the stairs, Adastra and Seliha following.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am going to end up being so self conscious this evening looking like this." Sam looking in the mirror at something that looks remarkably like a zombie.

"You will be fine, Adastra and I are also green."

"Yes but given I have seen an Asari with more green skin it is hardly that big of a change. Green is really not a normal colour for us. It would be like you being yellow."

"I get your point Sam but I think your message has made you unduly nervous."

"It is not all that comforting when you know nothing about what is to happen Seliha."

"Perhaps a drink will settle you a little Sam." Sam nods to Adastra and the three of them get dressed. It is only a couple of minutes before they head downstairs to see Fosanta and Kate waiting for them.

"You two look good." Sam paying his compliments to the two well dressed individuals in front of him who had clearly made an effort unlike the three of them.

"And you look like a zombie Sam," everyone including Sam laughs. "It is at least obvious that you three are together."

"That was the plan Kate, less likely to get people asking you out if it is obvious you are friendly with someone else. Anyway I think we best be making our way there." Everyone nods to Adastra and heads out of the front door towards the shuttles with the commandos meeting them there.

"Green, really?" Hymara clearly jealous as she gets in seeing Seliha and Sam on the seats.

"Yes what about it?" Sam already sick of the colour and the comments it was getting. He was just glad it was not highlighter yellow.

"You three are going to stick out. I can see this being a long evening."

"Sorry Hymara. I will try and behave." Adastra takes off and follows Fosanta to the space port near to the bar.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Well that is different." Aethyta mused to herself as she watched the eight commandos, three Asari and two humans walk in.

"What species are they matriarch?" Gemayha had never listened to Aethyta's request to not be called that since she started working at the bar over four months ago. Aethyta let her off as she was rather popular with the regulars.

"Human Gemayha. The two the Enlighten picked up, which means one of the Asari will be Adastra." Aethyta just hoped that this evening would not end badly. Gemayha was confused.

"What is important about Adastra."

"She knows how to defend herself. I heard she attacked a commando because she treated her differently not long ago. If you take their order, mention I would like to speak with them at closing time." Gemayha felt a little trepidation but nodded and left the bar to take orders.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I like this place already." Kate looking around and seeing a relatively peaceful atmosphere even though it was fairly full. "Least there is no dance floor or rubbish music."

"This is not a club Kate it is more an eat, drink and talk establishment." Seliha seemingly a semi regular. "I see a couple of tables at the back that are empty. We should take them before they fill up." The entire group walk over getting people parting and stopping their conversations to look at the humans.

"Hymara, you know when we went to that clinic and I said I would get sick of that look. I have hit that point now." Sam smiled as Hymara and Lianta laughed.

The group separated into their two usual groups taking a table each. "Do we order at the bar?" Adastra wanting to get on with drinks.

"You can Adastra or you can wait a minute and someone will be along to get your order." Adastra thinks waiting might be an idea as carrying thirteen drinks at a time would be a bit of an effort. Gemayha appeared from the bar area and headed to Kate and Fosanta's table.

"Welcome to Eternity. My name is Gemayha, what could I get you this evening?"

"I have no idea at all. What would you recommend that is not too strong?" Gemayha seemed to pause as if there was some kind of translation time.

"Our Asari honey mead is highly popular."

"I will try some of that." Gemayha gave an exaggerated nod and looked to Fosanta.

"I would like the same please." Kate was thinking it must be highly popular as everyone sat at their table orders the same. Gemayha goes to the bar to pick up the drinks.

"Matriarch, six honey meads and do you know which of them is Adastra?" Aethyta laughs.

"Not frightened you have I?" Gemayha shakes her head unconvincingly. "Her hands but more so the left have markings on." Aethyta puts the six glasses on the tray. Gemayha looks confused. "Yes she has markings on her body, supposedly no one has seen them though." Aethyta leaves her description there and gestures to the awaiting tray. Gemayha shakes her head a little and then nods before taking the drinks back to Kate's table where she carefully distributes them to everyone before moving to Adastra's table next door.

"Welcome to Eternity. My name is Gemayha. What could I get you all this evening?" Gemayha was a little tentative in her delivery and standing a little distance away from the table which Seliha did not miss.

"Greetings Gemayha I am Seliha. I could not help but notice you seem a little uncomfortable and I am curious as to why as you seemed ok when serving Kate and Fosanta." Sam was wondering if a bit of him was rubbing off on her or something.

"Matriarch Aethyta, the bartender here at Eternity, had just told me about the rumours surrounding you Adastra. They have made be a little nervous." Sam just laughed a little before turning to Adastra who had a bit of a frown. Speaking in English to keep Gemayha out of it.

"Adastra, She will not know of the large improvement you have made in the last few days. Think of that as old Adastra. Would you be willing to give her a hug to show that you care?" Seliha got a large smile not only from being able to understand what Sam had said but also the plan. Adastra gains a bit of a smile back and nods. "It is good to meet you Gemayha. My name is Sam and I am sorry for that little talk but it is easier for me to express myself in my own language." Gemayha nods "First drinks. Could I have something fairly strong and slightly fruity?"

"Of course Sam." Seliha and Adastra settle for the same as Sam whereas all the commandos stick with the honey mead.

"Gemayha, before you go for the drinks. If you would not mind then I would like to give you a hug to show that I am usually a friendly person. The rumours get me treated as a monster and the notion people could even make that assumption hurts." Gemayha seems torn between accepting and running.

"Gemayha, you can get the drinks first if you need time to decide." She nods and quickly disappears. "That was rather amusing, she looked scared."

"It was rather mean Sam." Imphaya smiling as she made the remark.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Matriarch, four meads and three of something strong and fruity. I also could do with some advice." Aethyta getting a couple of bottles off the shelf behind her.

"What is it Gemayha?" A bit of a smile on her face as if she already knows what has happened.

"Adastra would like to give me a hug to show that she is not a monster." Aethyta starts laughing at that.

"You really need to grow a quad Gemayha. She will not attack you for no reason." Aethyta puts the seven glasses on the tray. "Also remember that I want to talk." Gemayha nods and leaves with the tray to go to Adastra's table. She puts the tray down on the table and passes the drinks out to each of them.

"What is your decision Gemayha?" Adastra's face grew a smile when Gemayha opened her arms. Adastra stood and gave a hug. "I appreciate you letting me do that."

"That is no problem Adastra." Gemayha seemingly puzzled as to why a hug meant so much. "I have been told to tell you that Matriarch Aethyta would like to speak to you at closing time." with that she moved to Fosanta's table and said the same thing before going back to the bar.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I wonder why a Matriarch is even serving drinks in a bar?"

"I have no idea Fosanta but I am sure she will be willing to explain if she wants to talk with us." Yasmari still thinking perfectly fine even after nearly chugging the entire glass of honey mead already.

"This honey mead is actually rather nice"

"It is fairly popular Kate and we all ordered the same as well." Yasmari tipping the rest of her glass into her mouth before putting the empty on the table. "Unfortunately I have a bad habit of drinking too much of it." The whole table either smile or laugh to that as Yasmari catches Gemayha and orders a refill.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I have no idea how Kriana could say my sloe gin tasted of paint stripper. This stuff tastes like cleaning fluid given it has a citrus flavour." Sam thinking it was like someone has made a hybrid of a lemon an orange and a grapefruit.

"You should have had the honey mead Sam if you do not like it."

"Lianta, it is good, just a bit different than I am used to. I may try the honey mead later."

"Oh I still have yet to show proof that I have the same condition as Adastra. If you come around here I will show you." Lianta, Aumarva and Imphaya got up and got closer to get a better look. Seliha keeping her leg below table height so that others do not see uncovers her right ankle to show a few of the markings.

"I believe you now Seliha. Do either of know how many have this condition."

"I was told there were six known individuals including me when I was born. I would not expect more than about ten in the galaxy even if it is becoming more common."

"Are you kidding Adastra? I thought it might be near a hundred but not as low as that." Hymara clearly a bit surprised at that amount.

"No I am not kidding. Yes you have about a fifth of the galaxy's population of marked Asari sitting in front of you. I did not believe Seliha either when she said." A silence washed over the table as the four commandos tried to process that information.

"I will get the other table to come and have a look Seliha." Seliha nods and Sam walks across to Kate's table.

"Sam you should really try this honey mead it is good."

"I might later Kate, Seliha would like to show you all something since you doubted her claim yesterday." Sam hoped the hint was enough for Fosanta and Kate to join the commandos as well. Luckily they did and joined the four commandos to look at Seliha's right ankle.

"So it is true, Sorry for not trusting your word Seliha."

"That is no problem Kalawa I have got used to people not believing me. You best be getting back to your seats as I can see a few people thinking of taking them."

"I forgot the on your feet loose your seat rule. Luckily it seems to be thinning out a little in here." Kate looking around and seeing only one or two people without seats before heading back to her table.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Everyone had had at least two drinks by the time the bar was closed at midnight. There was an eerie quiet as the thirteen occupants of two tables at the back waited, watching Gemayha cleaning tables and removing glasses.

"Sorry was cleaning the bar. My name is Matriarch Aethyta but you can just call me Aethyta." Everyone just nods or says hi as she pulls around a barstool and sits down between the two tables.

"Was there a reason you wished to talk to us?" Kate being a little snappy after having a few.

"It is not every day you can talk to a new species." Aethyta still seemed cheery even though she had been serving drinks all night.

"Aethyta, I am sorry but we have tried to keep quite a bit of information to ourselves. If you have any specific questions then we may be able to answer those." Gemayha looked interested and wandered over to stand behind Aethyta.

"I heard that you caused a few problems on the Citadel."

"Aethyta, I think we shocked the whole hall at the announcement event but other than that I do not think we caused too much trouble." Kate remembering back to the sea of jaws on the floor as they came out onto the stage.

"If by problems you mean the crippled commando then that was my fault." Adastra looking a little sad at that Sam putting his arm around her.

"Although to be fair if Adastra had not have done that we would have never have met." Seliha feeling happy about Adastra taking that choice.

"Do you have the same condition Seliha?" Aethyta seemed remarkably well informed. Seliha looked a little shocked and confused.

"What makes you think that Aethyta?"

"I heard many years ago that you did but when you came in one day a few years ago with your arms exposed it made me think they were just rumours."

"They are not rumours, I just have no markings on my arms. I would like to keep their colour and position to myself however."

"No problem babe." Sam looked a little surprised as to how laid back Aethyta was as she turned towards Kate's table. "So you two must be Fosanta and Kate?" Kate nods.

"I am, but I am also curious as to why a matriarch is in a bar?"

"Just because I am getting old means I cannot drink?"

"That is not quite what I meant." Aethyta laughs.

"I know, I was just messing with you. I got tired of my opinion not being listened to on Thessia, so I came here. We as a species should be advancing technology not showing our arses to everyone who will look." Fosanta nods.

"This sounds like it is a bit of a sore point for you Aethyta."

"It is Adastra, we should have our own mass relays by now, not thousands of artists and strippers."

"So those relays are made by the other races?" Sam curious as to how they can use them and not know how hey work.

"No babe. We found them, we do not know who made them. We should know how they work and we do not."

"Interesting, in that case I agree entirely with your opinion Aethyta. You should at least know how they work enough to repair them for example."

"I get told that a lot babe, but your opinion is appreciated. It has been good to meet you all but I must get back to cleaning. I will see you all soon." The group pay for their drinks and head back to the house. Given it was now late and they had work tomorrow everyone turns in for the night shortly after arriving.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>

**Apologies for this building block chapter but it has its reasons. If anyone wishes to point out that Aethyta would be on Thessia ~140 years prior to Mass Effect, arguing about mass relays until she is blue in the face (I did not just type that did I :p) then you would probably be correct. I thought Aethyta was one of the better characters so I decided to place her in the story for you all, timeline be damned.**

**Next chapter will be first day of work at Armali, which will be posted on the 28th April.**


	26. Chapter 26 : First Day

**Chapter 26 - First Day**

* * *

><p><strong>Monday 23rd January 2017<strong>

Seliha's Omni-tool beeps as she walks into the kitchen. "I like how you announce your arrival Seliha."

"It was just co-incidence Sam although I see it has amused you." Sam laughing a little as she checks the message.

_Seliha,_

_I will meet everyone in testing room two in the biotics building._

_Usarta._

"Usarta will meet us all in one of the biotics testing rooms when we arrive. I suppose to help you all settle in."

"I think I will be needing that as I have no idea what I am to do." Kate expressing some nervousness.

"You will be fine Kate, I guess I will have to work out how to actually use their software which could be fun as I struggled a little with the console upstairs yesterday."

"I have not even used a console yet Sam."

"They are not that difficult to use once you know the basic layout and how to interact with them Kate. I will help you out this evening if you wish."

"I would like that."

"I think since we are all arguing who is going to find it most difficult, and we have all finished eating our breakfast, we should set off. Are we using one shuttle or two?"

"I think two Adastra as we do not know what will happen today." Adastra nods to Fosanta and the five of them exit the house and board two shuttles.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Seliha leads everyone to the testing room, which they all enter to find Usarta sitting on a chair at the side of the room with three boxes next to her. "Good morning. I called you here as it is a good space that is not being used for a while."

"I think everyone is a little anxious as to what is to happen Usarta."

"That is understandable given it is your first day." She stands up and picks up the three boxes, handing one to Adastra, Kate and Sam.

"What are these?"

"They are the Omni-tools I mentioned about on Saturday Kate. The instructions are on a datapad inside and are also stored as a file on the Omni-tool itself for future reference. I would advice you all today to get used to them as you will likely be using them a lot."

"So I guess we have some sort of a profile stored somewhere which they connect to?" Sam wondering quite how they work.

"Both yourself and Kate have a profile on the Asari Republics database Sam. Your messages are stored on your profile as well as medical records, financial details and any legal documentation you may obtain."

"How safe is all this information Usarta?"

"Good practice dictates that you should treat messages as not private, especially on Illium Kate. You will need to use a console to authorise your Omni-tool to make financial transactions later. That system is in place so it makes it very difficult for someone to take credits from your account. The information on the server itself is highly secured Kate. While no one can guarantee it would be immune from hacking it would be essentially pointless."

"So we use our Omni-tools to make payments?"

"You can Sam and I would recommend that you do so as the transactions are safer than using credit chits. Armali have given you two this weeks pay in advance to allow you to complete any purchases that you may need to make." Kate and Sam nod, Adastra seemingly more interested in her new Omni-tool.

"Would you like me to help Fosanta Usarta?" Seliha seemingly not all that happy with silence and nothing much happening.

"I would appreciate that Seliha. Adastra, Kate and Sam would you like to follow me to the propulsion building." The four of them exit leaving Fosanta and Seliha in the testing room.

"Your room is one floor up Fosanta. I will also show you the software we use for bioamp design as it has a few things which are not intuitive." Seliha gesturing Fosanta to follow her.

"I would appreciate that Seliha. Could I ask if there is a manual for it as well as it could be a good idea to read that."

"There is a manual on the network storage which you can take a copy of before you leave for the day." The two of them get into the lift to go up a floor.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I think I am going to have to look at the manual to work out how to use everything this Omni-tool offers." Adastra keeping one eye on here she is going and one on the Omni-tool.

"It would be best if you both read the manual and learnt how to use everything. I have had the opportunity to use one myself and they are certainly not as easy as most are to use. Kate, your Omni-tool has a relatively simple interface and should be fairly intuitive. I would still recommend you reading the manual however."

"I will make sure that I do that this evening when Fosanta can help." Usarta nods as they approach the lift in the propulsion building.

"I have a question, do Omni-tools work in space?" The four of them enter the lift to go down to floor seventeen where Adastra and Sam are to be located.

"Local functions are unaffected Sam. If the ship is below light speed and near a communications buoy you can send and receive messages. Calls are usually not permitted from Omni-tools in space because of the limited bandwidth available. If you need to make a call use the ships onboard communications systems to do so."

"I just have one thing to add that Adastra has not mentioned, there can be delays when sending or receiving messages in space."

"Will we get messages from people we do not know or just random messages from companies?" Kate curious if they work the same as e-mail.

"Probably Kate but spam messages are not that common as the extranet drops excessive sending of messages."

"So it stops people who send more than say one message per second?"

"I am not sure what the limit is Sam." He nods to Usarta as the lift doors open and the four of them walk into the first room on the left. "As you probably remember from Saturday this is your room Adastra and Sam. Adastra you probably did a ship maintenance module in your degree."

"I did why?"

"The software we uses for design is quite similar to the augmented reality software used for maintenance. There is a manual on the consoles and I am sure Thea or Samalya, in the room you share manufacturing machinery with, would be more than happy to help you as well."

"It may be an idea to say hello anyway given we need to share."

"That sounds a goo enough reason Sam. Anyway I must show Kate her office before lunch so I will leave you two to settle in. If you have any problems do find me or give me a message."

"I am sure we will be ok Usarta." Sam nodding in agreement to Adastra's comment but not looking quite as convinced.

"I will see you both at lunch time." Adastra and Sam nod as Usarta and Kate leave the room.

"How difficult are Omni-tools to use Adastra?" The two of them sitting down at the consoles at the back of the room. Sam struggling a little to open his box up.

"Certain functions such as language translation, once you have them set up are automatic. Then it is dependant upon the Omni-tool model how easy it is to use Sam. This is not the worst I have used, it is logically easy but just the amount of functions makes it confusing." Adastra having a bit of a browse around the various menus. "You should have a go Sam?"

"So it is basically a fingerless glove?"

"You may be pleasantly surprised Sam. You can also get a variants that detect finger movements which make the holographic interfaces on consoles easier to use."

"You are telling me there is an easier way to use consoles as I had a bit of difficulty yesterday? Using a keyboard that is not there is really strange and not easy."

"If you are to use consoles and interfaces a lot then implants in your fingertips are usually recommended. For moderate use haptic gloves provide the same kind of feedback which makes using holographic interfaces easier. You can as you found out yesterday use them without any kind of feedback but it is really strange to do so."

"What was the excuse given for not using a piece of glass? I admit for something portable it would be impractical but for say ship controls or even on a console which is on a desk, why not?"

"Space saving Sam. You may find your Omni-tool is a little strange to use as well I just need to warn you." Sam just looks at it.

"I know I should read the manual but actually working out the basics yourself is better I find."

"I will get you started, to open your Omni-tool open your hand and rotate your wrist at the same time Sam. The Omni-tool might trigger itself incorrectly a few times at first but it learns." Sam does as Adastra mentioned to be greeted by an orange holographic interface. "I think it would be best for you to work out what to do with the manual Sam as everyone has their own preference on how they set up and interface with their Omni-tool."

"This is as bad as the console to use Adastra." Sam trying to press things and most of the time missing.

"Sam in the system options there should be an option to turn off haptics." Sam struggles to get to the system options menu and then choosing interaction he turns off haptic interactivity. The Omni-tool seems to become much more responsive with that one setting change.

"That is so much better. I guess that is on by default because most people get implants who use Omni-tools?"

"Usually, yes. The procedure only takes a couple of hours and is not expensive. However they have to have the option there as some people either prefer not to have the implants or cannot have them because of some medical reason."

"Am I actually loosing anything important as the interface looks different now?" Sam noting the new layout of the main screen.

"You will notice you get visual feedback now instead so the slightly larger keys will light up when pressed. This is also common with consoles and shuttle control systems if you turn off haptic interfacing." Sam nods but is concentrating more on what other options he can play with. He quickly finds the option to display the current time seemingly inside the glove which seems to make him pleased.

"I will mess with that later." Sam presses the close button and the holographic interface disappears. "You said shuttle control systems, do larger ships not have that option?"

"Usually if you are to pilot anything larger then it is highly recommended that you have implants. It is entirely up to the manufacturer of larger ships as to what kind of controls are fitted but haptic implants allow you to use them all. They also make it easier to control the ship as you can have feedback of what is happening." Sam nods before turning on the console in front of him and notes the time before laughing as he has the time on his Omni-tool.

"I think it is about time to meet everyone else for lunch." Adastra nods and the two of them exit the room and head to the lift. "I have a question Adastra. Does this that is displaying the time now also give indications of messages?"

"I would expect so Sam. If it does not then I am sure you could probably use the built in programmer to change it." Sam nods as the lift progresses slowly towards the skylounge.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I know it is not the largest room Kate but you will not be meeting clients here." Kate looks around at the large desk, two chairs and a console. The rest of the room was relatively sparse except a chest of draws with had a turquoise leaved plant on the top.

"It has a good sized window and is light enough. It will be plenty to work in Usarta."

"I am glad to hear that Kate. I will give you an introduction to what we would like you do this afternoon. Do you have anything to ask now, perhaps about your Omni-tool?"

"Not really Usarta. I will sit down this evening with Fosanta and work out how to use it."

"Fair enough. I will meet you here after lunch to explain everything about your role." Kate nods and takes a seat as Usarta leaves. Kate looks out of the window at the traffic passing below before feeling a touch of vertigo. Stepping back she steadies herself before deciding it would be a good idea to head to the skylounge even if she is a little early.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate finds Adastra and Sam already at a table, Sam seemingly playing with his new toy. "Hello Kate. I am a little surprised that you are not having as much fun as Sam." Kate putting her tray on the table and taking a seat opposite Adastra.

"I am leaving it for tonight Adastra. I am a little nervous as I was not the best person with technology back on my home world." Sam laughs a little before looking up.

"Sorry, I just remember you walking to technical support whenever you had a minor problem. Half of the people who worked with me found it funny you only seemed to turn up when it was my time to be on the desk."

"The others scared me Sam." Kate seemingly managing to convince Adastra but it was not seemingly washing with Sam.

"I will not mention that problems could not always wait the two days between me being on the desk. Anyway you will have fun with the Omni-tool Kate as it is a little strange." Sam prodding at something else. "Oooh. You can rearrange stuff. That will be handy as I can stick the most used things first." Seliha and Fosanta walk up with their trays and take a seat.

"I guess that was the designers intention Sam. How are you doing with learning how to use it?"

"It is not too bad after turning off the haptic interface Seliha. It will take a while for me to get it how I would like it though." She nods.

"It should not take too long to get it to something usable Sam. Kate it should not take you long either."

"I am not sure about that Fosanta but we will see this evening. I am just curious as to how it feels wearing it Sam?"

"It would be a bit less strange if you had one for each arm but I can see it being easy to get used to. It does not weigh much and does not restrict movement."

"I do not think they would be very popular if they did Sam."

"Thank you for making me look silly Adastra." She gives Sam a smile. "I think we best look at this design software if you are so bored." Adastra nods. "I will see you all either later or back at the house I presume." Seliha Fosanta and Kate nod. Sam and Adastra leave the table.

"I guess I will only be here as long as Usarta needs me. She is going to explain what my job is going to entail this afternoon."

"If you come to find me in room 23042 when you are finished Kate then we know when you are ready to leave."

"I will do Fosanta. I will see you both later. I best not keep Usarta waiting." The two Asari laugh and nod before Kate makes her way back to her office.

"She looks a little stressed. I guess her first day is quite a bit to take in."

"I think you are right Seliha but I think Kate will be fine." Fosanta seemed to be reassuring herself as much as she was Seliha.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate walks into her office to find Usarta sitting on the second seat in the room. "You must be fairly quick at eating?"

"I only have time for a snack at lunch time Kate. Please take a seat as you look overly nervous."

"I am a little Usarta as I do not know what is to happen." Usarta passes Kate a datapad.

"On the datapad is the form that each individual you meet will need to provide information about. I am sure you can work out what questions you need to ask to get the answers that you need." Kate quickly looks through the form.

"So things like why are you choosing Armali's propulsive products over someone else's?"

"Yes. It is entirely up to you how you word the questions as long as you get the answers that you need to fill the form out. You then need to check for any known security issues with the individual or the company or both. You can do this using our database which will highlight problems for you."

"I guess if there is a problem I reject the application?"

"It depends on the severity of the problem Kate and whether it would affect us. We would like you to use your own discretion in making the decision. I am sure every verifier we have had on Thessia has treated cases differently. As long as the worst individuals are removed then we are not too bothered with borderline cases. Some verifiers ran the security check first and then if it came back as a borderline issue they could ask them to explain why you should grant the application."

"That sounds like a better way to doing it to be fair Usarta."

"I found it quite inventive as well Kate so I thought you should know. I will show you how to do the searches." Kate nods and Usarta takes her chair around to the other side of the desk.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"This software looks rather similar to 3d design software we had on Earth. It is going to take a while to work out all the menu items though."

"Hello, are we inconveniencing you?" Sam and Adastra look up to see two Asari.

"Of course not, we were just trying to work out how this software worked. I am Adastra and this is Sam."

"I am Thea and this is Samalya. You are both rather well known. I feel honoured to meet you."

"Thea, I am not special and I doubt Adastra thinks she is either. While it is good to meet you both I hope you can see us as just co-workers who do the same work."

"Thea is a little young and excitable at times but she is remarkably bright Sam. It is however good to meet you both. Would you quite like our help to explain how to use the software?"

"We would Samalya as I have only used something similar and Sam has barely used a console and an Omni-tool." She nods not having a large smile on her face unlike Thea but she does look friendly. Sam guessed Samalya must be a couple of hundred years older than Thea and guessed that must be why she is a little more reserved. "I am a little surprised neither of you are bothered about being with me?"

"Why would we be Adastra?" Adastra holds her left hand up so Thea can see the markings better. "I am confused."

"I have markings on my body and I still have this public image of being a bad person. It makes me a little weary when meeting new people as I do not know how they may react." Thea looks more confused.

"The rumour is that Adastra may have killed someone who saw her markings Thea. I personally think it is just a rumour though and not to be taken seriously as it was not like you were ever convicted."

"I was not Samalya but the rumour does have some truths to it. If you both just treat me as you would anyone else I will be more than happy."

"I think we can both do that Adastra." Samalya looks to Thea who nods. "Ok we should get on with explaining the software otherwise we will be here until tomorrow."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"It is quite scary the amount of information Armali has on everyone." Kate randomly mentioning as the shuttle makes its way out of Nos Astra to the house.

"I guess you know roughly what you have to do now Kate?" Fosanta shouting back from the pilots seat.

"Yes and I have my first client tomorrow which is a little scary. Usarta is keeping me to one or two a day for this week."

"That is nice of her Kate. I hope you are not too tired or anxious to learn how to use your omni-tool later?"

"I will be fine as long as it is not too complicated Fosanta. I do have a manual though so it should be easy enough." Fosanta forgoes answering as she lands the shuttle in its space at the house. Adastra, Seliha and Sam seemingly already back before them.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam said his goodbyes to everyone at the houses before he got in to the shuttle with Adastra, Imphaya and Lianta. The shuttle was making its way towards Nos Astra space port, Adastra seemingly trying to use short cuts to avoid traffic.

"Do you know where you will be meeting Sam?"

"It said near dock sixty seven."

"Of course it did, she knew you would not be flying the ship. Just trust that I am right about this Sam." He says nothing but wondered how the hell this is planned so far in advance unless she could see into the future. Adastra soon parked the small shuttle near to dock fifty one and once they had walked to the dock it was only a couple of minutes before the meeting time. Only a minute later a nondescript small passenger transport appeared and smoothly parked in the dock. Once the walkway had extended to the ship they saw an Asari walk out and head towards them.

"Talima, It is good to meet you again." Sam sounding a little shocked.

"It is good to meet you again as well Sam. Adastra I hope that there are no hard feelings for me being the one to deliver the news of your limiter."

"No Talima. It has turned out to not be too bad to be honest. Could I ask before Sam leaves if he will be back before Friday?"

"I would think so Adastra but I cannot promise that, sorry."

"That is all I wanted to know." Adastra turned to Sam and gave him a hug. "Take care Sam."

"I will Adastra, you do as well Seliha." She nods, "See you in a few days you two." Imphaya and Lianata nod and Sam leaves with Talima to board the ship. It was not long before the ship was outside of Illium space and Talima had set autopilot.

"Unfortunately unlike when you were on the Enlighten we cannot skip some traffic queues and we cannot travel quite as fast so it will be about nine and a half hours before we reach Thessia. Do you have any questions Sam?"

"Do you know who I am to meet?"

"I know her name is Amistathya Sam."

"Amistathya... ah-mist-athya."

"No Sam, aymi-sta-theia. It is difficult for even some Asari to get it right but I would recommend you do as even a small mispronunciation ruins its meaning entirely."

"Amistathya. That is going to be difficult to remember let alone pronounce. I am going to probably keep saying aymist-athya which I guess is also wrong?"

"It is Sam, as I said it is difficult to get right but I guess she will understand that."

"Could I ask what it means?"

"I think it is for her to tell you Sam, not me." Sam nods. "She has been in the care of Galactic Understanding for just over a week." Sam looked puzzled.

"Surely the Consort would be a better individual to help her than me? I mean I have no experience at doing this kind of work."

"Experience helps but it really is not essential Sam. The Consort wished me to remind you how you gained Adastra's trust." Sam wondered what that meant but then remembered back to what happened in the bathroom back on Earth.

"Oh. I think I might understand Talima. If I am right then the only piece of information I would like to know before I meet her is her age. I do not want to know anything else about her."

"She is two hundred and sixteen Sam and I will make sure that no one tells you anything when we get to the facility."

"Thank you Talima. Does this ship have a bed? I have had a long day and am quite tired."

"Yes second door on your right." Sam moves down the ship and finds that the room has a single bed in it which before long Sam is sound asleep in.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Fosanta sits down next to Kate in their top room. Kate with the datapad on her knee and her Omni-tool open. "How is it going?"

"It is not too bad after I made sure I was reading the correct part of the manual. I did not know there is two different interfaces so I was really confused at first."

"I cannot remember what it is like to have no feedback with holographic interfaces other than I did not like it."

"It does take a bit of thought to select what you want but it is not unreasonable. I can see why someone such as yourself would not like it though as it just feels like you are waving your fingers in the air."

"It was exactly that lack of feeling which made me dislike holographic interfaces. I did all of my work on datapads until I had haptic implants then I felt fine using holographic interfaces."

"What are they Fosanta?"

"They provide a little sensation of resistance when you hit a holographic surface. They can also give you various tactile feedback such as textures of things or a warning if you do something wrong. It makes the experience that much more satisfying than waving your fingers around in the air."

"I think I will stick with waving my fingers around in the air for a while Fosanta as I would rather not have implants if I can avoid it."

"You can also get gloves which give you the same feedback Kate. I would actually recommend trying them at least at some point as they do make a difference."

"I will keep that in mind." Kate closes her Omni-tool and turns off the datapad. "I think we best be getting to bed given I have a long day tomorrow again."

"That sounds like a good idea." Fosanta following Kate out of the room and down the stairs to bed.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**Not quite as long as the previous few chapters. I was rather undecided initially as to how to deal with Sam and Kate not having haptic implants and use of holographic interfaces. I could see no practical reason why a console or Omni-tool could not measure distances to objects and check to see if a key has been touched. It would probably be strange enough to explain why people prefer haptics whether in gloves or implants.**

**Next chapter will mostly be Sam on his trip to Thessia. You can read that on the 5th of May.**


	27. Chapter 27 : Off World Inexperience

**Chapter 27 - Off World Inexperience**

* * *

><p><strong>Tuesday 24th January 2017<strong>

Sam does not get the best nights sleep ever in the slightly turbulent transport. He quickly puts his clothes on and opens the door, after hearing a knock, to see Talima. "Morning Sam. I apologise if I woke you but we must leave." Sam was starting to feel as if this was a chore. He nodded before following Talima out of the transport to a waiting shuttle nearby. They both climb on-board and Talima closes the door.

"I am glad to see you two. My name is Saymera and I am the manager of Galactic Acceptance's support network." Saymera took no time to set off towards the facility after the two of them had got in.

"I am Talima and this is Sam."

"I am guessing that you have both been sent to see Amistathya?"

"No Saymera just Sam. I am only here to make sure Sam is safe and gets everything he needs."

"I am not so sure about this as..."

"I am sorry to interrupt Saymera but Sam requested not to be told anything except her name and her age."

"Really Sam? I think you might need our help while you are here."

"Yes Saymera. I understand it could be highly risky as I will know nothing. I am however hoping that given I know nothing I will not be seen as threatening in any way."

"I am not sure how that will help in this case but it is up to you. Iona will be your contact to help you with Amistathya. I would recommend speaking to her first." Saymera lands the shuttle in a parking space almost within spitting distance of the main entrance. The three of them get out and walk into the building immediately entering a large reception area.

"This is our reception area which handles every person that walks in and needs our help."

"How many people do you get a day?" Sam clearly interested in the size of this operation.

"At this location we usually get about thirty a day, but over our three facilities we usually give advice and help to about seventy five people a day." The three of them continued past the reception desk down a corridor to its right. "If the person just needs advice or quick help then we can provide that instantly with no waiting. If the person needs longer term help and cannot come in on a daily basis, or has no home or is a danger to themselves then we provide them with a room which they are able to stay in until they have recovered."

"It sounds like you provide a vital service for the community as a whole."

"We try to but we do not get enough funding to be able to provide this service to enough people. We estimate sixty thousand people a year would benefit from our services in one way or another on Thessia alone. We would ideally like to open outreach centres on the Citadel and Illium to be able to get our support to individuals there as well."

"How is this all funded?"

"There are a couple of private contributors but most of our funding comes from the Serrice and Armali councils who essentially fund the three facilities." The three of them walk around the corner to the left at the end of the corridor and Saynera opens the first door on the left. "If you would like to enter." Sam and Talima do so to enter what looks like a large office. A desk at the back of the room and a round meeting table for six nearer the door. A friendly looking Asari gets up from her desk and walks over. "Iona this is Talima and Sam. I am sure you can explain to each other what is happening. I will be at reception if either of you need me." Sam and Talima nod and Saymera leaves.

"It is wonderful to meet you both. Please take a seat." They do so at the meeting table. "I guess you are here to help with Amistathya?"

"Iona. I am not exactly sure why I am here if I am honest. With what I have managed to piece together on the way here I would prefer to know as little as possible about her."

"Strangely that is how most of the galactic community sees you at the moment Sam, an unknown entity. In that case I will only say I was brought in as a second opinion. I therefore have only been told her name and age to keep my opinion impartial. I have found out nothing more over the last three days about her so I know as much as you do Sam."

"You have been with her three days?"

"I have been trying to make her more comfortable and happy Talima. Without any success I may add."

"Is there anything important I need to know Iona before I see her?"

"No Sam. I am however curious as to why you say I? Are you both not here to see her?"

"I am not here to see Amistathya Iona. I am only here to help Sam and to keep him safe."

"I understand. If you would like to follow me Sam." Sam gets up and follows Iona to the room immediately in front of them after turning right. "I have one piece of information and one request to make Sam. The first is when you wish to leave, touching the door control panel will open the door for you. The request is could you leave your shoes outside." Sam nods and begins to remove his shoes.

"Does the door not open if she touches the panel?" Sam forgoing using her name given the oddness of it.

"No Sam." Iona shaking her head. "I wish you better luck than I had and we will happily provide you lunch in my office if you would like that."

"It would be more convenient, if it is no hassle for you."

"Of course not." Iona unlocks the door and opens it. "You know where to find me if you need me." Sam nods and Iona turns to take the dozen or so paces to her office. Sam steps in to the padded room with the door shutting behind him making him jump a little. He peers into a small bathroom on his left to see no one there so decides to move forward. He looks around the corner to see an Asari sitting on a foam mattress with her back in the corner of the room. She seemed to be wearing gloves as well as the what Sam assumed was standard white top and trousers, with white socks.

"Greetings Amistathya. My name is Sam. I deeply apologise if I have mispronounced your name." She does not make any movement. "I know you may be wondering what species I am. I apologise a little as this is all new to me as well so I understand what you may feel like." Sam decides it would be best if he sat down in the opposite corner to Amistathya. Amistathya just looked at Sam but said nothing. "I know nothing about you except your name and your age. Would you like to tell me something?" Sam was hoping this worked as otherwise this is going to be hard work. Amistathya did not seem to want to be co-operative.

"Do you mind if I tell you a story?" Still nothing much from Amistathya except a small tilt of the head. "Nothing can really prepare you to see a new species. The fear of the unknown, the thrill of meeting them, the confusion of how they managed to get to where they are now. I bet you feel the same as I did on that cold night when I first met two Asari. The pair of them looking cold, a little lost and in need of some help. While I understand that you may not feel you need some help, given you are in here and you have barely lived a fifth of your life you really do Amistathya." Sam looks across to the Asari in the corner wondering what was happening behind those sky blue markings. "I hear Iona has been in here with you for the last three days. She seemed warm and friendly which confuses me. I would ask why you did not speak to her but that is the wrong question." Sam just caught the slight glimpse of confusion on Amistathya's face. "I was called here from Illium to see you Amistathya so I am not going to waste the opportunity by asking stupid questions. I would quite like to ask if you like your body Amistathya?" She brings her legs a little closer to her body with that question.

Sam takes a few minutes to see if she would give an answer but she makes no movement or no attempt to answer. "Amistathya, over these last few weeks I have seen more strange things than you could probably imagine. I can see now you are an Asari. You also have the right physical features such as arms and legs. While I may be a little shocked if you had bright yellow skin, I could not say that it is wrong as for all I know that could be what some Asari look like. I have only ever seen two Asari and both had markings on their body." Amistathya seems to close up a little more. "I guess from your reaction that you have the same condition Amistathya. I am sure Adastra and Seliha would be interested in meeting you."

"You lie." Sam was almost relieved when he heard those two words uttered in a soft, cool voice.

"I really do not Amistathya. Adastra was the first Asari I ever saw on my home world. She taught me Asari and we really annoyed the Asari Councillor. She is a friendly individual who really cares about others, although her reputation that she has gained portrays her in a bad light. Adastra's markings are seemingly chaotic and fairly random. Seliha's are well organised and symmetrical but she has less of them. I mean even I do not have bare coloured legs." Sam pulls up his left trouser leg which seems to get Amistathya's attention. She does not make any kind of comment to seeing the hair on his leg. "I should go to talk to Iona and have something to eat as this is remarkably tiring. I will be back in a bit Amistathya." Sam gets as far as just standing on his feet before getting pushed back into the padding of the room. Sam looks over to Amistathya. "I hope that means you wish to talk to me Amistathya as it is not the friendliest way to treat people."

"You are weird."

"To you maybe as I am a different species. To me it is everything and everyone out here that is weird. All I can do is accept everything is as it is as I have no concept of whether something is normal or not. I must however say you are still young, you can do an awful lot in eight hundred years Amistathya. If I had that amount of time I would know I have the time to make everything in the future better. It may not make what has happened better but you can feel positive about going forwards. I have seventy years if I am lucky to do the same and meeting Adastra was the best bit of luck I have had to begin that journey. If you would kindly let me go for some lunch I would appreciate that. I would also like you to consider offering to show me a little of your markings. I know you feel defensive about doing so but please trust me." Amistathya gives the merest of nods. Sam carefully gets up knowing what happened last time and cautiously makes his way to the door. He puts his shoes back on before walking into Iona's office. Iona and Talima sitting next to each other at the table, facing towards the door.

"How was she Sam?"

"Well I managed to get five words out of her Iona. They were not answers to questions in case you were trying to gain any more knowledge."

"Did you find out anything interesting Sam?"

"I think I know why she is a little shy but I asked her to consider an offer to prove it to me. I am expecting her not to though."

"Would you be willing to tell me Sam?" Iona seemingly desperate to know as she was just about managing to keep a lid on her enthusiasm.

"She essentially told me she disliked her body. That plus the gloves and how defensive she was made me think is she like Adastra."

"You mean you think she has markings on her body? The chances of that are practically nothing Sam."

"She did not deny the fact when I mentioned it Iona. I asked if she would consider showing me after lunch. I am expecting her not to do so, but it would be nice if she did. If she does and it is true, I think I then know why Sha'ira asked me to come."

"Talima has told me about yourself and Adastra. From what I gather you were the first individual she seemed to trust."

"Adastra never gave anyone else the opportunity Iona, it was just by chance that I saw her. I am hoping she uses it as a step forward to open up a little more to others. This is not really all that relevant to Amistathya however as she is certainly different from Adastra."

"I do apologise Sam but when I have questions about someone, I like to find the answers. You seem to talk a lot and say very little, which is almost as confusing as Amistathya who refused to say anything." Sam laughs a little.

"Perhaps you are asking the wrong questions Iona."

"I will consider that Sam. I will see where lunch is as you seem keen to get back to Amistathya."

"If she converses more then maybe but getting the odd word is remarkably tough." Iona nods and leaves.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Lunchtime in the skylounge was remarkably busy today so tables were in short supply. Fosanta and Seliha had managed to claim one that was close to the window so when Kate and Adastra appeared it was easy for them to sit together.

"Is anyone else struggling to work today?"

"I think we all are Kate. I am personally missing him a little." Kate laughs a little at Adastra.

"I am as well Adastra. He has almost become the annoying and always in trouble sibling who you want to get rid of and then miss when he is gone. I hope that he can give us some information soon."

"I am sure that he will Fosanta once he gets some spare time." Seliha hoping that she is right.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I was only curious earlier as to why you managed to get Amistathya to speak Sam. I thought it may have been something to do with your time with Adastra."

"I will tell you more later Iona but I am starting to wonder if it is because of me knowing nothing. I mean as I mentioned to Amistathya, I have no understanding of what is right and what is not. I have only seen two Asari and both of those individuals have markings, does that mean all Asari have markings?"

"Two Sam?" Both Talima and Iona mentioning almost simultaneously.

"I have no reason to lie to either of you. As I said you are asking the wrong questions. The lunch was nice but I believe I have a sky blue marked Asari to hopefully talk to." Iona stands up and Sam follows her out of the room. "I have a question, would you consider moving her out of this room as it seems pointless?"

"If you can reliably communicate with her then we would probably consider doing so Sam. We could not work out whether she was a danger to herself or not so we took the safer route."

"I think she would appreciate the move Iona. I will come and discuss it in a bit." Iona nods and unlocks the door. Sam removes his shoes and cautiously makes his way into the room. "Hello." Sam intentionally keeping his voice a little lower than usual so he does not startle Amistathya. He takes a seat in the opposite corner again. "You look a little defensive Amistathya. I am not going to hurt you and if you do not wish to show me anything then you do not have to."

"How did you get here?"

"Do you mean from my home world to say the Citadel?" She nods slightly. "Can I just remark before I begin answering that you have a lovely voice Amistathya." Sam wonders if she may respond but she seems more keen in getting an answer to her question. "It is a bit of a long story, I can see you are not in that much of a rush. An Asari exploration ship was attacked and had to make a faster than light get away. This caused the mass effect core to discharge into the ship damaging a number of different components. When they dropped out of FTL my home world was the obvious place to go to find water. Two of the five Asari left on-board after the attack went down in a shuttle to collect some. Unfortunately at the time the star in the solar system had launched two flares in the direction of my planet which impacted the shuttle causing it to make a rough landing. One of the two Asari was injured and the door seal was damaged. I was passing a nearby road at the time and came across a tree over the road. I spotted something moving in the undergrowth so I went to have a look. So that is how I ended up meeting Adastra. One thing lead to another and a couple of days later myself and another of my species went to the ship to help repair it. We were then offered to come back with them, which we did so and most of us now live on Illium." Sam looks over at the indecisive blue one who seems torn as to what to do or think. "Do you think that you would be happier if you were in a better room?" Amistathya looks a little confused. "I will go and see what I can do. I will be back soon." Sam looks for a response but does not seem to get any. He keeps and eye on her as he leaves the room, given the lack of approval, but nothing untoward happens. Sam puts his shoes back on and enters Iona's room again. "I am back to see about the room change."

"Is she conversing with you Sam?"

"I got a question from her Iona which I would class as conversing. She honestly just seems really confused and scared. I think giving her a bit of trust might get us a little in return. It is at least worth a try as I do not think she wishes to shorten her life."

"Have you learnt anything from her Sam?"

"Other than I am growing a bit of a liking to her voice no Iona. I can see you are not convinced."

"I am not but you have got further than I managed so maybe I was missing something. I will talk to Saymera about changing her room." Sam nods and Iona leaves.

"Is it wrong that I am seemingly going against what Galactic Acceptance has done up to now Talima?"

"If you feel it is a sound decision then it is best to voice it Sam. Especially in these situations where you have managed to make progress where others have failed." Sam nods as he takes a seat to wait for Iona coming back. "You seem fairly exhausted Sam."

"It is hard work taking to someone who seems to keep most of the interaction in their head. I am quite pleased I have yourself and Iona to talk to otherwise this would be even more difficult." Talima nods as Iona comes back through the door looking a little less cheerful.

"Saymera was not particularly happy with the notion of moving her Sam. I am not sure how happy you may be but she asked me to be with you when you see her. It was the best I could do to convince her Sam."

"I should really have a talk to her myself later but we will see how this ends up working out first. Am I ok to talk to her on my own to explain what is to happen first?" Sam walking out of the office and towards Amistathya's current room.

"I will meet you in her new room Sam. It is four doors down on the same side of the corridor." Sam nods before talking his shoes off. Iona unlocks the door and goes down the corridor and enters her new room. Sam walks in to the padded room again to find Amistathya still in the same place as before.

"I do apologise for taking a while Amistathya." Sam sitting again in the opposite corner. "I have got a new room for you but I have a few questions to ask you first. If you could answer them then I would really appreciate it." The blue one just seems to be waiting for the questions. "Sorry, I keep thinking you may acknowledge with a nod or something. I said I was not going to ask stupid questions but it seems I have to so, why do you not like Iona?"

"They all scare me."

"Are you afraid of what they might do?" Amistathya gives a small nod. Sam tries to work out what may be happening here. "Has Iona done anything in the last few days which makes you believe that may be the case?"

"They have."

"I am assuming by they you mean Galactic Acceptance, but not Iona herself?" The Asari nods her head. "Amistathya, if I am in the room at the same time would you be happy enough to move from here?" Sam gets up and moves closer, crouching down not far from the her. Amistathya seems to try and make herself disappear into the crease in the corner of the room, without success. "Please do not be scared. I just came to offer to help you get up, nothing else." Sam holds his hand out. "If you cannot trust me to just be friendly then how can you trust the people who make your meals not to have put poison in them. You cannot go on without giving people a chance to earn your trust Amistathya. I am just wishing to give you a nicer room which I think you deserve and to help you get there." She tentatively reaches out and takes hold of Sam's hand. He pulls himself and Amistathya up before letting go. She looks down at her gloved hand with confusion on her face. "Are you happy enough to follow me?" She looks up to Sam with no real warmth to her grey eyes and nods. Sam makes his way out of the room and picks up his shoes before walking to the door of Amistathya's new room. He opens the door and gestures Amistathya inside. "Please do not be alarmed to see Iona, it is not a trap or anything it is just us wanting to offer something better." She peers around the corner into the room. She seems happy enough Sam is telling the truth as she slowly makes her way into the room, taking her time as she gets closer to Iona who was sitting on the desk chair.

"I will not do anything Amistathya. I know you are scared of me but you need not be." Amistathya, staying close to the wall, climbs on her new bed to sit back in the corner of the room. Sam wonders if he could abuse his tentative trust and sit on the bottom of the bed. He does so and looks to Amistathya who does not seem to bothered by him being quite close.

"I have a question Iona, Amistathya said she was scared of you all because you as a group had done something to convince her that you may hurt her. Do you know anything about this?"

"No Sam. Could I ask what was done Anistathya?" The solomn blue one shook her head while looking out of her new window.

"Would you be ok if we tried to find out what happened or would you rather we not know Amistathya?" Iona looked confused at this offer.

"Please do not ask." Sam smiles at Iona's shock of Amistathya speaking.

"Do you have any questions for either of us? I am sure you do and we would quite like to hear them." Amistathya seems to contemplate something for a few moments before looking to Iona.

"Do you work here?"

"I am not a permanent employee Amistathya. Galactic Acceptance ask me to come in to provide second opinions and to help individuals who are not typical cases. I do have my own office as I am here quite often, but whatever they did I was not a part of."

"Why are you here?" Amistathya turning to look at Sam.

"You would have to ask the question which is the most complicated." Sam sighs. "I was told on Sunday that I had an opportunity to help someone and I might be the most suitable person to do so. I was given the option not to take the offer but I was curious as to why I would be asked. At this point I knew nothing other than the individual was at a charitable organisation called Galactic Acceptance and it is on Thessia. I suppose I felt a little empathy for the individual as I have had a difficult past few months since my parents were killed in an accident. I never really had anyone who I felt close enough to discuss it with and no one was offering to sit down and listen. I thought if they have had a similar situation I could maybe help them move on. So that is why I am here." Amistathya nods seemingly happy with the full answer.

"How did you manage with that Sam?"

"Before I met Adastra and Shiala I just carried on as best I could. I did not have high expectations and could not see a bright future. The best I could have hoped for was a better paid job. Now not only have I been in space, I have travelled faster than light, met other species and seen different worlds. I know I have not accepted all of this as real yet as it is a big change, but it is a nice future." Amistathya seems content to listen on.

"Did you not have a psychological evaluation when you came here Sam?" Sam laughs.

"No Iona, not only am I on the watch list because Adastra connected with me after I had seen her, but we left the Citadel early because the captain of the Enlighten did something stupid. I would quite like it if you did not do one now Iona as we are here to help Amistathya, not try to work out how I think."

"I apologise Sam but the fascination to get a new species perspective is rather enticing."

"I will give you my opinion of Asari if you would like to hear it." Iona nods with a smile. "Amistathya is the first Asari I feel confident about my first impression being correct. Every other Asari I have met I either still have no idea about or took a few days to work out. Some people would just accept this and be happy with it but it seems odd to me." Iona seems a little puzzled.

"I would like to hear it." Amistathya looking towards Sam still seemingly trying to work something out.

"You mean the first impression?" She nods. "You are here because you have nowhere else to go. I guess that means either, you have no family or close friends, or do not know where they are. You seem nervous around other people but more so Asari so I guess something from your past has affected you. You are a fairly shy individual normally and I also think that you would rather find a way out of here than kill yourself, even if your life has not been particularly good to you. I do apologise if it was a bit close to the truth Amistathya." She gives Sam a slight nod but no indication if any of it was true.

"You worked all of that out from first impressions Sam?"

"Let me put it this way Iona about the only thing I can work out about you is you probably went to university and did reasonably well. I hope you can see from this demonstration what I was saying, the friendliness is nice but it obscures the individual."

"You are correct in your assumptions about me Sam but how did you come up with so much more about Amistathya?"

"Most people would go to family or friends for help before spending time in an unknown building with unknown people. You said you had been with her three days and found out nothing. While the fact someone in this building did something to her, if it was just that she would only be upset at that individual and only that individual. This goes further than that to something in her past. She has soft voice which would not usually fit with an outgoing individual. I also feel she is waiting for a plausible reason to continue with her life as it has been not that good up to now and can only see it getting worse." Sam turns to the corner dweller. "Amistathya it can get better, you just need to be a little optimistic." She does not seem convinced enough to respond.

"Amistathya is any of what Sam said correct?" She gives a small nod before resting her forehead on her knees.

"I have a question which I feel is important Amistathya. Do you think you would ever trust me?"

"Can you prove you will never hurt me?" The question appearing from the gap between her thighs and her chest.

"I am going to say this a little harshly Amistathya but no one can do that. You will get hurt whether physically or emotionally again and there is not much chance of avoiding that, it is just a fact of life. Having people around you for comfort and support when it does happen is the best thing you can have Amistathya and that is what I wish to help you with." Sam and Iona look at each other after a few seconds when there was no response.

"Please could you both leave." Iona was just about to speak when Sam gestured her not to.

"Will you let us come back tomorrow?"

"No." Sam gestures to Iona that they should leave the room.

"I hope you find your own path Amistathya as you have a lot to look forward to." Sam gets up and leaves the room with Iona following. The two of them leave the room and begin walking to Iona's office.

"Why did you want me to stay quiet Sam?"

"It was obvious she wanted a bit of time to herself. I however did not like the sound of not coming back tomorrow." Sam following Iona into her office.

"I was sort of expecting the tiredness but not the unhappy faces."

"While I cannot really blame Sam as he seems to understand her better than I do, he may have hurt her a little." Talima looks to Sam.

"Not physically and it was just the harsh truth. I did not want her walking out of here thinking everything will be great and then quickly realising it is not. I would rather tell the truth to earn trust than lie and hope they do not hate you for it when they find out later."

"Sam does have a point Iona. So are we back tomorrow?" Iona sits down and looks up to Sam.

"She said no but I think I have to." Sam has a quick think. "Iona can you do three things for me?"

"I will say once I hear them Sam."

"Could you ensure she is checked at irregular intervals throughout the night just to make sure she did not take my harsh fact of life too badly. Can I also have time alone with her tomorrow?"

"That is two things and she asked us not to come back tomorrow."

"Could I deliver her breakfast tomorrow morning? I will be delivering breakfast not dropping in to just talk."

"Breakfast is at eight Sam so I guess you could give her it if you were here by then. I will try to arrange this with Saymera but she may want to swap her rooms back."

"Iona, she would see them doing that as another reason not to trust them. I know I would be annoyed if that happened to me. She just needs checking every now and then. Can you do that or do I need to speak to Saymera?"

"I think you should Sam. Saymera seemed to barely trust what I said to get her moved. I am sure she will be at reception on your way out. I hope to see you both tomorrow then."

"Try to get a good nights sleep as it was not your fault Iona." She nods before Sam and Talima leave her room and walk down the corridor to reception. "This has been the longest day I have had for a while."

"As long as you did your best and it sounds like you did, then that is all that matters Sam." He nods to Talima just before they walk through the door at the end of the corridor into the reception area.

"Iona did not seem to make much sense earlier Sam. What do you think of Amistathya?"

"Iona seemed less happy after finding out her efforts of the last few days were pointless because of what happened earlier." Saymera looks confused. "Amistathya told me she was scared of them, them being galactic acceptance staff. She would not say that if you did not do something to upset her. I do not want you to tell me what happened, I am just letting you know."

"So she is actually speaking?"

"You sound surprised Saymera. Yes she is speaking but I think she is tired. I have three things to request." Saymera nods. "Can I deliver her breakfast tomorrow morning? Can I speak to her on my own tomorrow as I do not think Amistathya is too confident with Iona there, and can you just keep an eye on her every now and then but do not try to move her or talk to her?"

"Is she a danger to herself Sam?"

"No but I know you do not like to take risks so I thought you would prefer it that way, just to be double sure. I know I can get things wrong sometimes."

"Ok then Sam. I guess you have discussed this with Iona?" Sam nods. "As you are probably aware then, breakfast is at eight. If you are here before that time you can deliver her breakfast. I will ensure someone keeps an eye on her."

"I appreciate that. I will be back tomorrow."

"Have a pleasant evening you two." The pair of them nod and leave the building.

"I guess we need to sort out sleeping arrangements now?"

"I have a room already sorted out for us not far at all from here." Sam sighs. "Is there a problem Sam?"

"Kate would be so annoyed at me."

"Why would that be Sam?"

"She will be thinking it is my fault for sleeping with three different females. I do find it a little uneasy when I have not known the individual a while but Asari seem to have no issue at all."

"I guess it is the gender difference which makes it a little uneasy for you Sam?"

"It is Talima. I am learning to accept it but I would like to find the right individual to settle with sooner rather than later."

"You seemed happy with Adastra."

"I admit I would be unable to say no if she asked but Sha'ira seemed to see it first and I think we both agree that very good friends is all it really is. I am sort of hoping that Amistathya is not the flicker Sha'ira mentioned to me to look out for."

"I cannot help you there Sam as that is for you alone to decide. Sha'ira did however tell me to say she thinks Amistathya may break before you succeed. The two choices you face are slowly wearing her defences down and hope she does not fight back or run out of time. The second is to break her defences quickly and hoping she does not shatter."

"In my opinion I think Sha'ira is slightly incorrect. I do not think that the slow method will make any difference. If she can sit in a room with someone for three days trying to get a response from her and getting nothing then she could probably ignore months of effort. It is going to need something she cannot just shrug off as a minor annoyance. The problem is that I do not have anything I could use to make it happen." Talima has a quick think.

"I might have something to help you, it is usually used for self defence if you have poor or no biotics. I will show you when we get back to the hotel which is just around the next corner." Sam pondered both why Talima had such an item and how it works.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The two of them walk into the hotel room. The room is small but well furnished. Sam sinks down into the bed as he takes a seat, happy it seems comfortable enough. Talima digs through her items to pull out what looks like a large laser pen.

"I think this will help you Sam." Talima hands it to Sam who looks at it with caution.

"What is it and what does it do?" Talima smiles.

"It is basically a tiny ion thruster with a laser to help you see where the ions are going to hit. Someone found that a tight beam of ions can feel like someone slowly pushing a needle into your skin. It is certainly unpleasant but causes no lasting damage."

"Does it work through clothing?"

"If it is a woven fabric then it does a little, it is much less effective though." Sam points it at his leg and presses the button.

"That is pathetic." Sam thinking a small patch of pins and needles was hardly going to be a deterrent. "Amistathya is almost totally covered as well. Although... That would work."

"I do not want to know what you are thinking Sam. It would probably be best if you did not tell Iona either."

"I can understand why." Sam puts the device on the bedside table before getting undressed and jumping into bed. "I hope you sleep well Talima."

"I am sure I will. I hope you do too Sam." With that Talima carefully gets into the other side of the bed and the pair put their heads down on the pillows.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**All good secrets come to an end, we now know who the individual in the strange paragraphs is. Thanks goes to all new and existing readers will with this story. Next part to this small sub-plot will be posted on the 12th of May.**


	28. Chapter 28 : The Shock

**Chapter 28 - The shock**

* * *

><p><strong>Wednesday 25th January<strong>

Sam and Talima walk into the Galactic Acceptance building at seven fifty five. Sam having the device that Talima had given him the previous evening discretely in his pocket. Saymera sees the two of them walk in from the reception desk. "Good Morning. You look less tired this morning Sam."

"I had a good sleep to be fair even though I was worried. I am guessing I am in time to drop her breakfast off?"

"You are. You will need to go and wait at her door in a minute. I have informed the individual who usually delivers her breakfast to hand you the tray. Iona will be in her office when you wish to see her."

"She did not try anything overnight then?" Saymera seemed to get a little anxious at that question.

"I thought you were not expecting anything Sam?"

"I was not Saymera but I wanted to confirm what I thought, was correct and I had not made a mistake. I will talk to you later." Saymera nods. Sam and Talima go through the double doors and begin walking down the corridor.

"Talima, can you also inform Iona that if I message either of you could you come to the room. One of us will likely be needing help if that occurs."

"I will only mention it if her Omni-tool beeps Sam as it will cause less stress." Sam nods as he stops by Amistathya's room. Talima walks a bit further down the corridor and around the corner out of sight.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam had been waiting outside Amistathya's room for just over five minutes before an Asari appeared from the end of the hallway with a tray and a smile. "Morning."

"Indeed it is." Sam getting a bit of a laugh as she hands him the tray. "Thank you." The Asari nods and leaves. Sam holds the tray with one hand pushing the opposite side of the tray into the wall to keep it level so he can open the door. He walks in with the tray, and as the door shuts he pulls the device out of his pocket to hold in his right hand. He walks forward and places the tray down on the desk without looking at Amistathya.

"Why are you here?" She did not sound angry but as Sam turned around to look at her he could tell she was not impressed.

"I was told by someone not to talk to them. Given I am practically stuck on Thessia until Galactic Acceptance no longer need me I am left handing out food to people." Amistathya does not look convinced. "I see you do not believe my lame attempt of an excuse. I came here to see if you will trust me or not. It will be very much one or the other after this. I will warn you that this will be very mean, likely stressful and not that pleasant, but I hope we can together find a way forward afterwards." Amistathya seems a little scared given she is holding her legs fairly tightly to her chest. "Do you know what one of these is?" Sam waving the device around in his hand. Amistathya shakes her head nervously. "Well it is not mine but I have tried it. It fires ions which feel like someone pushing a needle into your skin."

"Please." Amistathya turning away from Sam and closing her eyes as if she is just about to get hit.

"It is going to be a bit of a game to see just how much you trust me. It goes something like this, if you fail to do as I say then it gets used. If you beg, it gets used, and if you fail to answer a question quickly then it gets used. Do you understand those rules Amistathya?" Amistathya seems to be in shock at what is happening. "I did have this down as lasting about ten minutes, you co-operating and me not hurting you but you are making it difficult." Sam sighs. "Amistathya, do you understand the rules? You have five seconds." Amistathya makes no move. "Three." She looks up fear all over her face. "one."

"Yes!" Sam can only laugh at her blurted out response as if she had been holding it back.

"Why did you struggle to answer?" Amistathya starts shaking. "This is easy, just answer the question Amistathya." Sam waits for a few seconds. "five, four."

"I am scared."

"I know that Amistathya, that is the point and I expect as much. You must dig deep and put that to one side for a few minutes. Ok, I will change my methods. Could you remove your gloves please Amistathya?" That seems to put more fear into her. "Amistathya do it without thinking and it is easier. You have thirty seconds."

"Anything but the gloves."

"Ok, remove all your clothes except your gloves." Sam thinking that was mean but it does provide a perfectly valid point. "You have a minute." Amistathya seems surprised by the request. "Amistathya, you made it worse for yourself by saying not the gloves. As I said it is best just to do it, rather than thinking about it. You have thirty seconds left." Amistathya does not move. "You are going to have to be very quick at getting undressed in the tine you have left if you do not want to be hurt." Amistathya cautiously takes her top off before pausing and looking at Sam. Fear in her eyes as she was trying to work out Sam's intentions. "Looking at me like that will not sway my decision Amistathya. If you remove your gloves and socks in ten seconds I will let you off with keeping your trousers on." Amistathya seems a bit happier and pulls off her socks starting with the left before taking her gloves off.

"Why are you doing this?" An obvious tremble to her meek voice.

"I am forcing you to make a decision. You will understand after if you trust me." Amistathya did not look convinced as she stays hidden in the corner behind her legs nearly in tears. "Why were you so reluctant to remove your trousers Amistathya?" Amistathya finally lets a tear roll down her face. Sam grits his teeth and tries to keep going. "Amistathya, you either tell me or they come off. I am assuming you would rather tell me?"

"I promise to tell you later." Sam was not quite expecting that response.

"Ok Amistathya. Could you tell me something about yourself, do you have any other medical conditions for example?"

"I have hypersensitive skin, I cannot taste anything, I cannot digest protein rich foods properly and I can only meld with people who have a similar nervous system frequency to my own."

"Was that so difficult?" Amistathya reluctantly shakes her head while drying her eyes on her knees. "Amistathya, the following question you can answer with words or actions. Depending upon your taken decision will depend what happens next. Do you understand?" Amistathya lifts her head up a little and nods. "Would you trust me enough to remove your trousers and stand up from the bed?" Sam knew this was the leverage he needed from her reaction and body language previously. "You have one minute Amistathya." Sam could see Amistathya trying to hide as the wall in her mind starts to crumble. He knew it was really mean given he was an unknown species and so a totally unknown entity to her. "Thirty seconds." Sam was just hoping she would go with it.

"Please give me more time."

"You either do it in time or answer in time Amistathya. No extensions to the time. Twenty seconds." Sam can see Amistathya has hit the breaking point. Crying she gets up off the bed and takes off her trousers, seemingly waiting for something to happen.

"Amistathya look at me." She slowly raises her head to look to Sam. "I am going to put this down on the side of here now and go to sit on the bed. You are free to have your breakfast." Sam does as he said, Amistathya looking confused as she is still shaking, her face wet from tears. She after several seconds cautiously takes the tray of food and returns to her favourite corner, the spoon skittering around as her nervousness shakes the tray. She keeps one eye on any movements from Sam as she does so. "I thank you for playing the game Amistathya. I know you are probably disliking me an awful lot now but I wish to say I was never going to harm you. I said as much previously and I meant it." Sam puts his hand into his pocket and pulls out the power cell for the device. "It never had any power."

"I hate you." Sam expected that reaction as he had noticed previously that Asari, like humans, do not take well to being played.

"The only person who was hurting you was yourself Amistathya. I just provided the trigger. I apologise for doing so but it needed to be something you could not ignore."

"I still hate you."

"Oh and while I remember I must compliment you on your markings. They are magnificent, the light blue caps on the ends of your fingers and toes. The strips up the back of each finger and toe which forms a braid up your arms and legs. The tree root style of the ends of the braid as if it has frayed when it reached your body is rather intriguing. I personally prefer your markings to the other two Asari I have seen with the same condition."

"Trying to make up for what you did earlier will not work." Sam was thinking it seems to have got her talking more though, which is a promising start.

"If you think that is what I am trying to do then you are mistaken Amistathya. I was proving a point that not everyone will try to hurt you. What you have to do now is decide if you want me to help protect you or feel vulnerable."

"How can I trust someone who manipulated me?"

"I did warn you before I started that it would be mean, stressful and not pleasant. I was honest and forthcoming with you about that and I never intended to hurt you. I think I also got enough information to help you. You never have to tell me anything else if you do not wish to."

"You will just manipulate me into telling you."

"Amistathya. I feel hurt by that comment. I will not do anything like that to you again." Amistathya puts the spoon in the bowl. "Could I ask what it is like not being able to taste?" Sam hoping the change in questions would make her a little more comfortable.

"Textured viscous water is about as good as I can describe it. I really miss being able to taste."

"Is it something you have not had long?" Amistathya looks at Sam who visibly backs off a little. "You are free not to say if you wish. I was just curious, my apologies." Sam was just starting to realise just how thin the ice was that he was skating on. Amistathya sighs.

"I have been unable to taste for three nearly four weeks. Please do not ask why."

"I will not. Could I ask why you did not attack me with your biotics earlier? You could easily have at least injured me. I admit that in our brief introduction I did not inform you our species have no biotic ability at all."

"In the past they were once used against me and given I did not know you had no biotic ability I was being overly cautious." Sam looked visibly relieved at that knowing it may not have ended well.

"I need to ask. If you would have known I had no biotic ability, would you have attacked me?"

"Very likely as I cannot begin to describe how much I dislike being naked with anyone else in the room."

"I deeply apologise but I realised that and used it to push you well past what you would be comfortable with. I hope you do not feel angry at me Amistathya."

"Just please do not come closer to me." Sam nods before realising something.

"Why do you not get under the duvet if you are so scared?" Amistathya gives the duvet a pull but Sam sitting on it stops her pulling it out of the bottom of the bed. Sam realises and gets up for a moment allowing her to pull the duvet up and cover herself. "You look a bit more comfortable now."

"I feel happier there is something between me and everything else."

"I understand Amistathya. You seem as if you would be just as happy elsewhere if you were given the opportunity so I have a proposal for you. Armali council have given five of us, four of who are from the Enlighten a four room house. I know there is definitely one spare room. Would you like to live with myself on Illium?" Amistathya seems to stumble a little before thinking the proposal through.

"What are the other four like?"

"Fosanta is a pleasant individual who is logical and organised. Kate who is a human like myself, seems to be finding everything a little strange. While she is sleeping with Fosanta I think she finds the concept of a mono-gendered species really confusing so she is not exactly confident. She will have no problems getting her point of view across though if she feels strongly about it. Adastra can be slightly hyperactive at times and she seems to see social rules as a challenge. She dislikes people seeing her body but she seems to be getting a bit more confident. Seliha is a friendly and determined individual who also seems to have a bit of wild streak. She seems confident in doing everything even if she is scared."

"Do you think there is anyone who would ask too many questions or hurt me?"

"I do not think Fosanta will be a problem. Kate may ask some quite deep questions but it would be out of pure curiosity not her intention to harm you. Adastra sometimes does not think about the consequences before doing something so she may do or say something but it would not be deliberate. Seliha I do not know too well to be honest. She is a bit of an unknown. While I cannot see her harming you what else may happen I have no idea. Sorry if you did not want to hear that." Amistathya looks a little unhappy. Sam waits for her to make the next move. He turns around and watches a couple of wispy clouds float across the sky out of the window.

"I would really like to leave with you. Could I decide tomorrow as I need some time."

"Of course." Sam sounding a little happier. "If I said you wanted to leave but made sure you could change your mind if you wanted, would that be ok Amistathya?" She has a quick think before nodding. "I know you still hate me for what I did but I feel we are making progress which makes me feel happier. I best inform Iona of the news and I guess you would like to get dressed." She nods as she looks at her hands. Sam gets up off the bed and picks up the device off the top of the desk before putting it in his pocket. "I apologise again and I will have a talk again later." He smiles to Amistathya who manages a nod and a weak smile back before he leaves. Sam walks down the corridor and enters Iona's room to see Iona and Talima at the table.

"Good morning Sam. You look rather stressed, could I ask why?"

"You are probably going to hate me as much as Amistathya does but it did work Talima." Iona looks confused as Sam digs the device and power cell out of his pocket and hands them to Talima across the table before sitting down.

"You used it on her Sam?"

"No Iona, I am not that kind of individual. I stated I would not harm her and while she may be quite fragile now, I think she will be ok after a bit of time to recover. I felt awful when she was shaking, tears rolling down her cheeks, standing there waiting for me to seemingly hurt her. What really got to me though was the fact she has the most beautiful markings on her body I have seen." Sam puts his head in his hand and takes a breath to settle himself.

"So she does have markings as you thought?"

"Yes Iona. I am so lucky I did not mention I had no biotic ability. You would probably have been scraping me off the walls if I had."

"So did Amistathya ask you to leave and not come back Sam?" Talima wondering was is to happen now.

"While I doubt she will ever forgive me fully for what I did, she seemed taken by the notion of going back to Illium with me."

"I find that hard to believe Sam."

"You can come and have a little talk Iona if you want proof. I would advice not to push her too much." Iona gets up and Sam follows her out of the door. "Would you let me go in first Iona?" She gestures Sam to lead the way. He looks around the corner to see that she had got dressed again and still looked a little upset. "Iona was a little disbelieving Amistathya. I hope you do not mind if she had a little talk." The blue one in the corner seemed to take a little breath to calm herself a little as Sam sits on the bed and Iona takes the desk chair.

"I have not heard details of what happened Amistathya, but I heard enough to know it would probably have hurt you. How are you feeling?"

"How much do you know?" Sam smiled a little at her giving nothing away.

"It sounded like he made you strip against your will. He has mentioned you have markings and they were the most beautiful he had seen." Amistathya looks to Sam who seems more interested in the white wall. "Sam also said about him being lucky he had not mentioned he had no biotic ability. I know no specifics on your markings or exactly what happened Amistathya. He did say you were thinking of going back with him to Illium. Did he force that decision on you?"

"No." Amistathya giving Iona a confused look as if she could barely believe Iona distrusted Sam so much.

"I will leave you alone for a while." Iona gets up and walks out.

"Iona really does not understand. I do hope you do not feel forced into doing this. We could find you other paths to take if you are not comfortable."

"I just wish to have some time to decide."

"I understand and will not annoy you again today Amistathya. I meant everything about feeling sorry and you having brilliant markings. I do hope you sleep well." She nods to Sam, a little warmth to her expression for the first time. Sam smiles and leaves the room. He walks around the corner and into Iona's room to find Saymera there.

"Is what Iona is saying true Sam?"

"I have only just walked in Saymera. Could you be more specific as unfortunately I cannot read minds?" Sam takes a seat at the table.

"Iona was expressing doubt over her choice to leave. I am surprised given you have only been here a day and a half."

"I offered and while she said she would like that, she said that she would decide tomorrow. I asked if she would be ok if we sorted out the paperwork but she was free to change her mind tomorrow if she wishes to. She was happy with that idea Saymera."

"When were you thinking of going back Sam?"

"Late tomorrow or early Friday. I would highly appreciate it if you could make the arrangements for her to leave, but she is going to make her decision tomorrow."

"That is understandable. Especially if you scared her. She would need an assessment by someone independent to see if she ready to leave." Saymera wanting to make sure she is not a threat to herself, Iona seemed happy with that suggestion as well.

"Would Talima be ok to do the assessment?"

"You have not met or seen her have you Talima?"

"I have not Saymera, also Sam has not mentioned anything to me about her that you two do not already know."

"I can see no problem with your suggestion then Sam. I would need you to do it this afternoon Talima if we need to have everything ready for tomorrow."

"I will get some lunch first. Sam do you want to join me." Sam nods and the pair walk out of the building.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am a bit worried now I have not heard anything from Sam since he has left."

"I am sure he is fine Adastra." Kate trying to be the voice of reason. "Maybe he has found the individual he has been looking for."

"That would be a little depressing, although I have got Seliha."

"Adastra I think he will always see you more as a sibling than a partner. There is nothing wrong with that and he does seem to truly care about you." Fosanta trying to make Adastra a little happier as Sam not being around seems to be making her a little upset.

"I never thought of Sam as more of a sibling but it does seem to be a good description."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Do you have anything to tell me about Amistathya Sam?"

"You want to know now Talima?"

"I only wish to know the best way to treat her Sam. You seem to understand her well enough to converse with her. That information could be advantageous to me as I will need to ask some questions."

"If you stay out of arms reach of her and try not to be over friendly I think she will be ok. Just do not expect to get too much from her." Talima nods as the two of them walk into the reception area. "I will wait here." Talima nods before making her way down the corridor to Amistathya's room. She enters the room and looks around the corner to find Amistathya sat in the corner of the bed, her back in the corner of the room. "Hello Amistathya, my name is Talima. I have come to assess you for leaving."

"I have not seen you before." Amistathya definitely more cautious around Asari. Talima notices this defensive action but resists trying to be friendly as per Sam's advice.

"You are correct Amistathya. I am one of the consorts acolytes and I am making sure Sam can help you as best he can."

"So it was your device he had?"

"Yes Amistathya. I have no idea what happened so if it was distressing or painful then my apologies."

"I hated it." Amistathya not wanting to let anything slip but still telling the truth. Talima could feel she was only co-operating just enough to get out of here.

"Why do you wish to go back to Illium?"

"I know it well." Talima was expecting a slightly different answer but she decides not to push.

"The only piece of information I need to know now is will you attempt to kill yourself again."

"I will try not to. What do you know about me?"

"I know about the incident at secondary school. I also know you tried to commit suicide on Illium but I know no specifics on that one."

"Does he know?"

"Sam asked not to be told anything except your name and age. Unless you have told him then he does not know." Amistathya nods seemingly a little happier. "I think I have everything I need. I will probably see you tomorrow." Amistathya nods again and Talima leaves the room.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Have you thought about doing this work more often Sam?" Saymera walking over from the reception desk to have a talk.

"Not really, especially since I am on Illium and you have no centre there. I do however feel that it is only right to help in some way as you seem like you could really help someone with a different set of problems. I will see what I can do when I get back to Illium."

"Anything you can do to help we would be grateful for Sam." Sam nods as Talima walks back down the corridor.

"Could I ask what she was like as she seems a little unpredictable towards people."

"She did answer my questions although she seemed resist giving away anything as you thought she might. She did however seem to want to know exactly what I knew about her. I explained what I knew which seemed to make her a little distant. I think your method of knowing nothing is paying off in this case Sam."

"Wait so she does not seem to trust anyone who knows too much?" Saymera finding this notion a little strange.

"It seems like that. Anyway as long as Sam keeps a close eye on her I think she will be fine."

"I will make sure all the documentation is complete for tomorrow."

"I appreciate it Saymera. Now all I need to do is give everyone back on Illium the news. I will see you tomorrow." Saymera nods and Sam turns to leave, Talima walking beside him out of the building.

"So you have not told Adastra what is happening?"

"No Talima. I do not know quite how she will take the news, she may see Amistathya as competition which I really do not want happening."

"I understand why you are a little weary Sam. You do not want her to feel as if you are leaving her to be on her own."

"Exactly Talima."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Talima and Sam get back into their hotel room. Sam takes a seat on the side of his bed and opens his Omni-tool.

_Adastra_

_I must apologise for not messaging you earlier but I have been rather busy and had a difficult couple of days. I need to ask if you have any problems having a two hundred and sixteen year old shy Asari staying with us. I need to have somewhere where she can feel fairly safe and so that I can be back in time for your birthday._

_I hope you are well._

_Sam._

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

_Seliha,_

_As I have said to Adastra in her message. I apologise for not sending you a message earlier. I have happened to meet a rather mysterious, shy and cautious individual here who I would like to bring back to Illium. It seemed the most logical idea as she did not seem to need to be at the facility and I wanted to get back for Friday. I hope you do not mind if she stayed with us._

_I will see you shortly._

_Sam._

"Iona was curious yesterday by how I could understand so much about Amistathya. I am still confused as to why that was as I feel it is obvious."

"It could be that she likes you Sam as it is a little obvious you like her."

"I am that obvious am I?" Talima laughs.

"While I could see you cared about Adastra when you were on the Enlighten, this is different. Please do not think it is a bad thing, do that you feel is right." Sam nods just before he gets a message on his Omni-tool.

_Sam,_

_We are both fine. I just need to say Seliha is really not the person you know her as. I know that sounds strange and it is. Anyway is there anything you can tell us about this new person as you seem to be being very vague._

_Adastra_

"Talima, Adastra would like to know some more about Amistathya but I am weary of saying too much more so she does not ask too many questions. I know if I asked her to not ask anything then she will try not to. I just want Amistathya to trust them a little and as you found out, the less they know the better."

"Sam. The only advice I can offer is trust yourself to make the right decision. It seems I know the wrong information to give you any guidance." Sam nods before replying.

_Adastra,_

_I am not trying to be deliberately vague I just know very little about her. One thing I do know, please do not touch her. She is also a little troubled by something involving Asari but I am waiting for her to say when she is ready. Given this she quite likes her personal space and would appreciate you giving her some. The only other thing I know is she is unable to taste anything. That is everything I know. Sorry Adastra._

_Why do you think Seliha is not the person I know. I am a little curious at that, I may ask her if you cannot or do not wish to answer._

_Sam._

"I missed out a few points but I think they have enough to get a rough idea. I could really do with some sleep as it was remarkably difficult this morning."

"I am glad to hear that Sam. If it was easy then I would be worried." Sam decides just to nod rather than say anything in response. The two of them get ready for bed and just before Sam settles down he gets a message.

_Sam,_

_Seliha is manipulating me into saying nothing so you are going to have to ask her yourself._

_This individual sounds, individual. We are not against the idea of having her here so do not take this the wrong way but, do you think she should live with us? Her needs are conflicting, she needs care and support but her personal space and respect. Oh Seliha says if you bring her back she will not meld with you._

_I will message you tomorrow, Seliha is acting a bit strange._

_Adastra._

"Every time I leave the kids alone." Sam laughing a little to himself.

"What do you mean by that Sam?"

"It sounds like Adastra and Seliha are getting on well. By that I mean causing trouble, Seliha more than Adastra, which I did not expect." Sam shrugs before composing a message.

_Adastra,_

_I do not think her needs are conflicting just challenging. I will give you a message tomorrow if I learn anything new. Also tell Seliha she will probably not see another human before she is a matriarch whereas I can always find another marked Asari so I will be bringing her back._

_Please stay out of trouble._

_Sam._

Sam puts his Omni-tool away and puts his head down.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>

**I feel this chapter is fairly self explanatory so I have not much to say this week. Next chapter should be the last day on Thessia with or without Amistathya. Find out if she leaves with Sam on the 19th of May.**

**Thank you all for continuing to read.**


	29. Chapter 29 : Slowly Understanding

**Chapter 29 - Slowly Understanding**

* * *

><p><strong>Thursday 26th January<strong>

Sam had slept rather well and after a bit of breakfast Talima and himself walked to the Galactic Acceptance building. "Do you have a time in mind for when we are to leave to go back to Illium?" Sam musing as they rounded the corner and could see the galactic acceptance building in the near distance.

"I was thinking nine this evening. I know you do not like sleeping on ships much Sam, however it is best to arrive in Nos Astra in the early morning as it is easier to get a berth."

"Right." Sam seemingly a little lost in his own world.

"Have you got something on your mind Sam?"

"You know when I said yesterday that I did not want Adastra to see this as competition?"

"Yes Sam."

"Well it seems Seliha is the one I should have been worried about not Adastra. I really hope this is not a problem when we get back." Talima could not see a suitable response to that so decides to say nothing. The two of them enter the building to see Saymera at the desk and the reception area devoid of people.

"Good Morning. How did you both sleep?"

"I slept well Saymera."

"I slept ok but I seem to have a few problems to resolve when we get back. Leaving Adastra and Seliha alone together turns the pair of them into kids. Anyway, how are you Saymera?"

"I am ok Sam. I got everything ready for Amistathya so all I need is the yes or no. I need to say Iona is not around today. I am however sure she would be willing to meet up again in the near future."

"I would like to do that at some time, however I must go to see Amistathya now and get her decision." Saymara nods and Sam walks down the corridor to Amistathya's room.

"Talima do you think Amistathya will be ok with the two of them if Sam thinks he might have something to solve when he gets back?"

"I do not know as I have never met Seliha myself. I will however be staying on Illium until Sunday so I will not be far away if there are problems." Saymera nods and Talima takes a seat.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam walks into Amistathya's room and looks carefully around to his left to look at her favourite corner. "Morning Amistathya. You look a bit tired." Sam noticing she looked like she had only been awake a couple of minutes.

"As do you." Sam laughs a little at her.

"I am not really tired Amistathya. I just feel a little stressed as nothing is ever simple. On that note I must state that I think Seliha may be more of a problem than Adastra."

"Why?"

"Well Adastra said she had been acting weird and then I think she somehow sees you as competition for me. Quite how that would work given we have only known each other about a week and only connected once I do not know. I am really not sure what is happening with her." Amistathya seems a little worried. "Could I ask what you are thinking?"

"I am torn between how much I think I could trust you and how much of a problem people in the house may be."

"You still do not trust me?" Sam not taking any offence as he understood that this will take time.

"Not entirely, which is making the decision difficult." Amistathya seems to contemplate something for a few moments. "Do you mind if I try to connect with you?"

"As long as you are careful then I am happy to Amistathya." She nods to Sam who gets a little more comfortable on the bed.

"Close your eyes. Relax and let yourself fall. Embrace eternity."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam finds himself in his library but everything is black and white. After a few moments a few tinges of colour begin to appear. "This is really strange as I have not had this happen before."

"I apologise however you do not understand that you are lucky." Amistathya's soft voice echoing slightly off the hard surfaces as the colour becomes entirely normal.

"You have not exactly been the most forthcoming of individuals Amistathya. Could you explain why I am lucky?" Sam sees her approach with a little trepidation from down one of the isles.

"Each individual has a certain nervous system frequency, which map into fifty one standard clusters. Each of these clusters contain groups of similar people. I happen to be right on the lower extreme of cluster thirty four which is one of the smaller groups. I can only meld with the bottom half of that cluster, which I was told is about one in two hundred people."

"I feel suitably special. I am guessing I am quite close to your limit given everything was a bit grey to begin with."

"No I struggle a little to initiate connections, that is why everything was a bit strange. I apologise about that but it has always been difficult for me."

"The main thing is that you still can Amistathya. Could I ask if there is anything you wish to know while you are here?"

"Not at the moment. I will leave now that I know I can meld with you." Sam nods as Amistathya leaves through the large door.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I appreciate you letting me attempt that Sam. The neural instability will be worse than usual given that I struggle to form connections." Sam smiles feeling suitably happy that it is the first time she has used his name.

"It is not your fault Amistathya so you need not feel bad about it. I am sure for today Talima will happily help me walk around." Sam feels a little light-headed but decides to power on through. "You seemed to have a reason you wished to find out if you could meld with me?"

"I did." Amistathya takes a breath. "This is not easy for me but it is the most comfortable. I will give you about three months to prove I can trust you. Do you agree to do this Sam?" He was a little confused but decides to roll with it.

"I think so, although you are being a very vague." Sam feeling nervous at this out of the blue idea.

"I will be your indentured servant until the end of April. The only clause will be that you cannot ask me about my past. If I feel I can trust you then you will probably find out everything you wish to know. If the opposite is true I will try to find my own way once the contract has expired. If you do not wish to have a servant then I would like to make my own path however that may turn out."

"You are trusting me with everything?" Sam feeling a great burden rain down upon him.

"No Sam. I am looking to see what you will take."

"So this is a test to see where I draw the line?"

"You seem to understand Sam. I cannot trust you if I do not know how far you will go."

"That seems to make sense although I can see Kate being highly unimpressed by this. Do you really need to do be my servant?"

"It is the only test I am happy with given I am reasonably sure you would be unable to hurt me badly. It also has the bonus of being a deterrent to anyone else thinking of hurting me. I still absolutely hate this idea, but as you said yesterday I am trying to just do it and not think about it."

"I understand." Amistathya nods. "Talima suggested we set off at nine this evening. Would you be ok if we collected you after you have had your evening meal, say about eight?"

"I will make sure I am ready." Amistathya seemingly not happy with her decision but sticking to it. Sam nods before placing his foot on the ground and trying a bit of weight on it.

"Great." Sam opens his Omni-tool.

_Talima,_

_I would be most grateful if you could come to Amistathya's room to help me get around for a while._

_Sam_

Sam looks to Amistathya who seems to be getting back to her normal non expressive state again. Talima walks in to the room to see Sam sat on the bottom of the bed. "Your message was not quite what I was expecting Sam."

"I am sorry to surprise you but I might have neural instability for a bit and I would greatly appreciate it if you could help me stay standing."

"I am guessing you are still a bit new to this Sam?" Talima talking as she helps Sam to his feet.

"Well it is my sixth time if I remember right. Last time I was like this I could walk in a straight line if I concentrated but it is a little worse this time. I just do not want to fall flat on my face."

"I understand."

"I will see you later Amistathya." Amistathya nods to both Sam and Talima as the two of them leave the room and walk back to the reception desk.

"You did go into the right room Sam?" Sam props himself up against the reception desk.

"I think I know Amistathya by now Saymera. The shy one that does not trust anyone with sky blue markings and grey eyes." Sam knew it was probably from confusion but was feeling in a slightly sarcastic mood.

"I was only asking as I was told she could not meld?" Saymera with a touch of confusion and intrigue on her face.

"Well if what she told me was correct then she can meld with about one in two hundred people. Anyway, she has decided to leave and it would be best if we could do so at about eight this evening."

"That sounds fine to me. I will see you both later then I assume." The two of them nod before walking out, Sam having his arm over Talima's shoulder to steady himself.

"This is probably going to spark some kind of war when Kate, Adastra and Seliha come back from work tomorrow." Sam musing to himself as they go for some lunch.

"Why do you say that Sam?"

"Kate will have a go at me for bringing an indentured servant back." Sam trying to sound as if he is ok with it but secretly a little scared.

"Really Sam?"

"Not you as well Talima. It was not my idea at all. I actually asked her if it was necessary, she said yes. She also seemed to deliberately make it difficult for me to say no." Talima nods with a smile. "Adastra will probably be a little annoyed that she will not be the centre of attention on her birthday and I have no idea what Seliha may do."

"I think you may be over thinking this a little Sam. How about we see if we can get something for Adastra this afternoon?" Sam nods.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra, Seliha, Fosanta and Kate are in the Skylounge having lunch together when Adastra receives a message.

_Adastra,_

_I just wished to send to a message to see if everything is ok there. I will be getting a ship back overnight but I doubt I will be on Illium until after you start work. Sorry about that._

_Sam._

"At least Sam seems to be keeping in touch now."

"How did you know it was Sam Fosanta."

"You sort of look a little down when you get a message from him. He is not going to cut you out of his life just because he has someone else to look after now." Adastra nods as Seliha gets a message.

_Seliha,_

_I hope you acting a bit strange is not because you are feeling as if you are in competition with my new friend. Please understand that I am more than capable of having more than one friend. Also could you inform everyone she will be my indentured servant once she arrives on Illium. I know Kate will complain so I apologise for any grief that you may get._

_Hope to speak to you tomorrow._

_Sam_

"Well his acquaintance on Thessia gets more and more interesting. He wishes me to tell you all that she will be his indentured servant when they arrive."

"I cannot believe Sam would do such a thing." Kate almost throwing her fork down on the tray.

"Kate, while I am disappointed, we know very little about this individual. It may be best for her this way, we just do not know."

"It is still not an excuse Fosanta." Kate seems a little wound up as she opens her Omni-tool.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam and Talima had just finished their food and were now just finishing the last of their drinks. As they looked out of the large window over a small pond Sam received a message.

_Sam,_

_How can you be so inconsiderate to bring a slave into our home. You know it is wrong._

_Kate_

"How did I guess Kate would be so annoyed."

"Is this about Amistathya wishing to be your indentured servant."

"It was more manipulating me in to it than wishing to be but yes. I do not particularly like the idea, although thinking of it she is basically giving me responsibility and I am giving her trust. I just feel as if I have the short end of the stick."

"Short end of the stick?" Talima seemingly confused at the unknown grouping words as to what they may mean.

"Sorry Talima, I keep forgetting sayings do not translate. It means the unfavoured side of the deal, the one with the most drawbacks and the least benefits."

"I understand now. I am guessing she is going to write the contract on her terms?"

"Yes but the only limitation is I cannot ask her about her past. That is it which is a little daunting." Talima seems a little anxious at that news.

"I feel the same as Iona did yesterday now Sam. Amistathya must value herself as almost disposable to offer such a contract."

"I know she cannot see who she really is. I still know nothing of her past but I know it must not have been easy for her. I would really like to get a few more answers when we get on the ship but I doubt she will answer." Sam looks out of the window to see a fish jump in the pond. "I best send a message back to Kate. I can however see this being difficult for me when I get back."

"All you can do is your best Sam and hope for a positive outcome." Sam nods to Talima who still seemed a little unsettled as he types his message.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate was a little annoyed as she entered her office after lunch. She looked at her inbox to see a message from Sam. She after a few moments of contemplation opens it only because there are no other messages.

_Kate,_

_It was her idea not mine, she has also made it difficult for me not to agree. I think this could be my fault for pushing her limits a little yesterday. I not only feel guilty I also now have the responsibility of her on my shoulders as well. I can only apologise if this upsets you. I will see you tomorrow evening._

_Sam_

Kate decides to have a chat to them when they return. She tries to block out the thoughts for now as she attempts to get on with other work.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam and Talima walk back to Galactic Acceptance after spending a bit of time finding something for Adastra. Sam was walking fine on his own after the instability had warn off. The pair walk through the door to see Amistathya sat in the corner of the reception area looking really quite uncomfortable. A box by her side kept her company. "I did not expect you to be waiting out here Amistathya."

"Neither did I Sam." Amistathya keeping her eye on an Asari who was waiting on the other side of the reception area.

"I think we should leave as you are obviously anxious." Amistathya nods and picks up her box. Sam looks over his shoulder to see Amistathya looking overly nervous about venturing out of the building. "Amistathya we will not be long before we are at the space port. You will be fine." She does not look totally convinced as she follows behind Talima and Sam. Sam follows Talima to the ship which was waiting at the space port whilst keeping an eye on Amistathya. The three of them walk into the airlock on the ship and Amistathya breaths a sigh of relief. "Was it that bad Amistathya?"

"I think I made it worse for myself but I would rather be somewhere a bit more private." The inner airlock door opens to reveal Sha'ira standing there with a smile.

"Good evening Mistress. I will prepare the ship for departure." Sha'ira nods to Talima who walks past Sam and Amistathya towards the cockpit.

"It is good to see you again Sha'ira." She bows her head slightly. "I do not believe you have met Amistathya before. Amistathya this is Sha'ira, you may also know her as the consort." The best Amistathya manages is a slight nod.

"It is good to meet you. I have heard plenty about you over the last week. I also heard about your rather inventive method yesterday Sam."

"Inventive? It was not that difficult to think of."

"Perhaps however it was bound to either fail spectacularly or work too well. I know from you both being here and not in a hospital it was the latter. I am intrigued to know just how well." Amistathya looked to Sam.

"Could you give us a few minutes to talk together?"

"Of course, take which ever of the two bedrooms you want." Sam nods to Sha'ira and gestures Amistathya to choose whichever she feels most comfortable in. She chooses to take the left hand room. The room has rather basic furniture but has an en suite at the back of the room towards the rear of the ship. Amistathya puts her box down on the floor just inside the door and takes a seat on the bed.

"Amistathya, I would happily tell Sha'ira for you if you want me to. I do however have a couple of questions for you." Amistathya nods. "Are you going to deliberately not do as I say so as to force me to punish you?"

"No, while I may slip up I will try not go against you."

"I am glad to hear that as I was worried. My last question is more related to now. Would you prefer to sleep alone as I am sure Sha'ira, Talima and myself could share the other bed if you were that bothered?" Amistathya seems torn. "I will go and tell Sha'ira what is to happen while you decide." Sam does not wait for Amistathya to respond instead he just leaves shutting the door behind him. He walks up to the small seating area in front of the bedrooms and sits opposite Sha'ira. "I still have quite a few niggling questions as it does not make any logical sense. I am however aware that she wishes to keep her past to herself which I fully understand."

"To go back to your advice Sam. You had a choice of drowning the flicker with the fuel or setting yourself on fire." Sam laughs as Sha'ira notices Amistathya had obviously followed Sam and was standing at the entrance to the corridor. Sha'ira does not bother to bring her to Sam's attention.

"I think the latter happened and is aptly appropriate. Do you know anything about what has happened today?"

"No Sam as I was in transit."

"Well, we found out we can meld so that is a good start." Sha'ira looks a bit confused but nods for Sam to go on. "Amistathya also seemed to have been planning a test last night. She is giving me three months in which she wants to see where I draw the line. To help me do this she will sign an indentured servitude contract where the only clause is I cannot ask her about her past."

"This is surprising me slightly. So she wishes to offer everything with no boundaries so she can gauge how much she can trust you with her." Sha'ira was playing a little to Amistathya who looked a little uncomfortable at her ability to see right through her careful plan.

"That sounds about right but I just have no idea what to do. If there were rules then I could perhaps work to them."

"Sam, metaphorically she is seeing if you are her preferred fuel by testing you."

"I get the idea but it still does not help me gauge where I am."

"From what I have heard you seem to understand each other perfectly but not yourselves. Just do what you believe is right Sam just as you did with Adastra."

"I will try but I am really not that comfortable with having so much responsibility."

"You will get used to it eventually Sam. I am sure Amistathya will understand the position she is putting you in." Sam nods looking down at the floor. "I did hear that Seliha could be a little problematic."

"You do not miss anything do you?" Sha'ira just smiles. "Yes, I do not know yet why Adastra said she is not the person I know. She also seems jealous that I am bringing Amistathya back saying she will not meld with me if I do."

"Does the latter bother you?"

"Not really as I can always find someone else if Amistathya decides not to stay. I cannot see how she could use that as a way to keep me as we agreed that we would just be good friends and not bondmates."

"It was wise you made that decision as this is what usually happens. It is a good job Amistathya will be in a contract as I think she would have tried to force you apart."

"You think she is after me?"

"Sam, you are one of two individuals of your species in the galactic community. That does make you highly prized and could make a number of people a little envious of your chosen individual."

"I am guessing my gender is not helping matters either?"

"You would be correct Sam, especially so for Asari."

"I must change the topic as I feel a little uneasy thinking of myself as someone at the top of the desirability list. Saymera asked me if I had ever thought of doing this kind of work more often. While it would be nice to do so I cannot see it happening, at least for a few years. Since Galactic Acceptance is a charity I was wondering how a bit of fund-raising would go down instead?"

"I am sure they would greatly appreciate any help that you could provide Sam. Did you have anything in mind?"

"Not really thought about it yet, it was more of an idea." Sha'ira smiles and subtly nods in Amistathya's direction. Sam looks confused at first whether that is a response to his idea or something else, until he turns around. "Have you been there long?" Amistathya looks at Sha'ira.

"Amistathya, I will not lie no matter how much it hurts. Sam she has been there through the whole conversation." Sam turns to Amistathya.

"It is not difficult to give me a little tap on the shoulder or something if you do not wish to say anything Amistathya." She looks away from Sam.

"Could you explain how you know my intentions?"

"I have helped thousands of people Amistathya. It gets easy to see patterns in peoples actions which give away certain things about them. I know you are hiding your past and you want to see if you trust Sam enough to know." Amistathya nods, seemingly happy enough with the explanation.

"Have you decided on how you wish to sleep tonight Amistathya? Well does not count." Sam getting a smile off Sha'ira at least. Amistathya seems still in thought. "I actually know you really want to be alone but you are planning ahead to try and predict my intentions tomorrow."

"You might struggle to predict Sam Amistathya. If you just want a good nights sleep go with what you are most happy with."

"I would rather be alone."

"That is fine by me. Do have a good sleep." Amistathya nods a little happier and goes into her chosen room. "Are you ok if it is three to a bed? I know it gets a little friendly but it is better than someone having to sleep in a chair or on the floor."

"I can see no problem with that Sam."

It was about fifteen minutes before Talima appeared after setting the ship to autopilot. The three of them went into the room opposite Amistathya's, got undressed and got into bed. Sha'ira got in the middle before shuffling a little closer to Sam which made him a little uncomfortable. "Sam, I have something I need to tell you so relax." Sam was starting to wonder if invading personal space was counter productive in making people relax, but he decides to leave making a comment for later. "Find the link between us Sam. Embrace eternity.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Well this is not embarrassing." Sam noting he was wearing nothing whilst sat behind his desk. Sha'ira walks up to the desk as if there is no issue at all.

"I must apologise for that Sam, I let my feelings overtake by better judgement." The smile on her face telling Sam all he needed to know.

"I am a high value prize I get it. What did you wish to tell me that you could not just talk to me about?" Sam resting his elbows on the desk in front of him.

"I am going to need about two hours of your time in private tomorrow morning."

"You could not just have asked?" Sam confused now why she wishes to keep this so secret.

"I need the time to see if you can produce separated memories. They are much more difficult to find during melding so should be safe if you meld with Amistathya or anyone else."

"Why would I need a separated memory?"

"I would like you to know why Amistathya is as she is Sam. I do not want the memory causing you to suffer however, hence the need for a separated memory. I hope you understand."

"Is it that bad?"

"It is quite a dark memory which did lead to someone committing suicide."

"I do not know quite what to say. If you were wanting to scare me you succeeded."

"I need you to know if you can do so tomorrow morning before you sign the contract. I know that Amistathya may never truly trust you, or anyone else, and you need to be aware of that as well."

"I understand. Do you mind if I tried to get some sleep?"

"Of course not Sam. I hope you sleep well." Sha'ira walked out of the library leaving Sam to emerge back into the ships bedroom.

"Sha'ira." Sam turns over to face the Asari wearing the warm smile of fake innocence. "Can you at least try to keep your hands to yourself."

"My apologies Sam." Sam shakes his head and turns back over wondering why he feels like he is surrounded by kids.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**Apologies for the later update today but it is still the 19th according to UTC.**

**Trust Sha'ira to try and live up to her reputation. I know the last three chapters have had less story with Adastra, Fosanta, Kate and Seliha. That will occasionally be the case going forward however do not despair if one or more of those are your favourite characters as it is back to normal in the next chapter. It is worth waiting until the 26th of May to read.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	30. Chapter 30 : Celebrate

**Chapter 30 - Celebrate**

* * *

><p><strong>Friday 27th January<strong>

Amistathya cautiously exits her room and takes the two steps forward needed to see the whole of the seating area. To her surprise only Talima is sitting there with no sign of Sam and Sha'ira. She looks around and notices the other bedroom door is locked. "I hope you slept well Amistathya. Sam and Sha'ira are having a private discussion."

"What about?"

"I apologise for being unhelpful, however I am unable to ask if I am not told." Amistathya nods and sits down as far away from Talima as she can.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Could you tell me why you are so desperate to tell me this Sha'ira?"

"Sam, to help someone you need to know what is hurting them."

"I agree usually but I doubt Amistathya would trust me if I knew."

"Sam. I need you to understand, deep down she may never fully trust you. The only way you will see why is if I can show you."

"Are there any side effects to what you are planning?"

"Initially you will feel very odd and there can be side effects but they are usually minor." Sam nods. "I need to ask if you have any problems with melding to test whether you can have a separated memory?"

"Is there another way?"

"There is but it can cause neural instability for weeks in some individuals. If anyone has a big problem with melding I unfortunately have to decline them the offer to help. The side effect is too common to be worth the risk."

"I seem to be on a predetermined path so I will reluctantly accept." Sam thinking he seems to have little option in any decisions he has made up to now.

"Just relax Sam. This will only take seconds and be confusing, just accept it. Find the link you used last night. Embrace eternity."

Sam feels as if his brain is literally melting the longer the connection lasts. This seems to go on for minutes not seconds before he feels the connection break. Sam opens his eyes noting the lack of a headache, he rolls his head on the pillow to look at Sha'ira his brain feeling like it is now water moving around inside his head.

"I think you melted my brain." Sha'ira smiles.

"It is the brain trying to rationalise what happened Sam. I can assure you it has certainly not melted."

"You look like you found something you did not expect?" Sam noticing the slight puzzled look beneath the smile.

"First my sympathies for the death of your parents."

"You saw that?"

"I have seen a few things Sam."

"I feel rather bare now."

"You have nothing to worry about Sam. I need to ask if we can just connect normally. It will take a bit of concentration now your brain feels funny."

"ok." Sam closes his eyes and tries to concentrate.

"Find the link again Sam. Embrace Eternity.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Well this is much more familiar. Why did you wish to connect?" Sam jogging to Sha'ira who is heading towards the first isle.

"Your mind looks too similar to my receptionists on the Citadel. She cannot have a separated memory without having a permanent headache. She does however have a recessed area of memory which is only opened after melding."

"The person melding doesn't see it?"

"No as it is only opened after the connection is broken and only remains accessible for ten to twenty minutes. It could be any size and hidden as anything in here. I need you to look for anything that is out of place." Sam nods as they progress down the isle soon reaching the end.

"I spent literally hours walking up and down these isles when boarding the floor, they are longer now." Sam walks back down the isle looking for any set of shelves which should not be there. He settles on one which seems odd to him.

"Is it this set of shelves Sam?"

"It makes logical sense for these books to be here and yet they feel wrong somehow, as if I should just leave them." Sam walks the rest of the isle before walking back to that set. "This is the only one I have any feeling about."

"You may have found your safe storage Sam." Sam looks at the shelf before nodding. Sha'ira starts making her way back to the desk at the front of the room.

"So anything I put in there I will also be unable to access until opened as well?"

"Unfortunately Yes. The other downsides are you need to meld to access it and you have a limited amount of time afterwards. It also means I am having to rethink showing you what I was intending to."

"Why?" Sam sits on his chair in front of the fire as Sha'ira takes a seat on the desk.

"In a separated memory you can choose not to copy emotions across which would have made the experience a purely logical one. You cannot have this benefit and therefore I do not know whether I should let you see."

"Could you at least tell me a little about what happened?" Sha'ira pauses for thought for a few moments before nodding.

"I will skip large chunks of details but you already know Amistathya has hypersensitive skin. Well it was caused by severe chemical burns which were deliberately inflicted upon her. I hope that gives you a little idea."

"Were they thrown on her or was she thrown in to some tub full of chemicals or what?" Sam asking a little tentatively, trying to get the idea a little clearer.

"It was with a scrubbing brush and a bucket Sam." Sam goes a little paler as a cold draught comes down the chimney and breezes past, chilling the air.

"Right..."

"Try not to dwell on it Sam otherwise it could affect you badly. You just need to stay strong and push her just as you would before. Do not let this information however tempting change how you see her."

"I understand Sha'ira." Sha'ira nods as she leaves the library.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Are you good to get something to eat Sam?" He sits up his head feeling like it is half full of liquid brain.

"My head feels so funny. I think I will be fine though."

"I must warn you if you meld with any regularity you will become highly addicted to that feeling."

"I understand." Sam getting up off the bed cautiously noting no real instability although his muscles ached as if he had just run a marathon. "Although if my muscles feel so dead I may not be up for walking far."

"My apologies Sam, part of that is from the test. It should be fine in an hour." Sam walks around the bed and opens the door, Sha'ira following him out towards the seating.

"Morning Amistathya, did you sleep well?"

"It was ok." Sam nods making his brain ripple around.

"How are you this morning Talima?"

"I am good Sam." Talima wishing she could ask Sha'ira what happened.

"When do we get to Illium?"

"We arrived twenty minutes ago Sam. Are you feeling ok?"

"I am fine Talima but I am not going to say what the purpose of the meeting was." Talima nods as Sha'ira gains a small smile.

"I recommend we should get breakfast as I wish to go somewhere this morning and I believe you two have a contract to sign." Amistathya reluctantly nods.

"If you are having second thoughts Amistathya you can say so."

"No Sam. I wish to do this." Sam nods his head before having to resist smiling at the fact that the sloshing around was already getting addictive. Sha'ira opens the inner airlock door which signals Talima to get up off the seats. Amistathya seems reluctant until Sam gestures her to follow.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Happy birthday Adastra." Fosanta seeming fairly cheerful this morning.

"Thank you Fosanta, where is Kate this morning?"

"She went into the basement to get some more soap for the bathroom." Adastra nods before looking to see what is for breakfast.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate drops the soap off in the bathroom and exits onto the hallway. Moments later someone from behind had caught both of her arms and covered her mouth. "When he arrives back you will not say anything about his servant. Do you understand?" Kate tries her best to nod but with the hand over her mouth having a tight grip it was a little difficult. "Just for everyone's benefit as well as your own. Displease me and you will be hurt. If you mention anything negative to him when he comes back I will dislocate a shoulder of your choosing." Kate tries to struggle free, the attacker pinching her nose in retaliation. "I find people trying to resist quite amusing, especially when they are in no position too." Kate was feeling very tight chested now with the lack of air. "Will you try that again." Kate shakes her head and the attacker lets her go. She runs forward a few steps taking a few deep breaths before looking back to see Seliha with a caring smile on her face. Kate jogs down the stairs feeling a little short of breath and walks quickly into the kitchen.

"You look out of breath and scared Kate, what happened?" Adastra a little confused at what could have caused that just taking some soap to the bathroom.

"Adastra you know when you said she was acting a bit strange." Adastra nods not liking where this is going. "Well she just attacked me as I came out of the bathroom." Fosanta and Adastra are a little taken aback as Seliha walks into the kitchen with three pairs of eyes following her?

"Do I have something on me?" She looks down and doesn't see anything. The stunned silence scaring her a little. "If someone would care to explain what is happening?"

"Kate has just said you attacked her upstairs." Adastra providing the answer that Seliha wanted.

"I cannot even remember seeing you... Oh no. I did not hurt you did I Kate?" Seliha seemingly genuinely concerned.

"It only happened two minutes ago, how can you not remember?" Kate feeling frustrated and annoyed.

"All I can remember is walking out of my room after having a shower and coming down here. I have to admit I would rather trust you than myself as this has happened before."

"Is there a reason you did not tell us?"

"It was well over two hundred years ago when it last happened Adastra. I never thought it would return."

"What would return Seliha?"

"I was diagnosed before entering my servitude contract with the Armali council with duality syndrome. This is going to scare you all, I apologise profusely in advance. Usually people with the syndrome live in their dominant personality. I have been trained to live in my submissive personality. I therefore have very little control over when I switch and I have no control over what I can remember." Seliha gets a little teary as she looks at three scared individuals. "I apologise even more for not knowing what I am capable of doing, I am not allowed to see that." Adastra's Omni-tool goes off to indicate a message.

_Adastra,_

_Happy birthday. I have just arrived back at Nos Astra space port but I think you will be at work by the time I get to the house. I hope you have a good day._

_Sam._

"Seliha, I will tell Usarta that you are having a day off for medical reasons. Sam and his Asari should be coming back soon. I am hoping Talima might be with them. Could you discuss this with them as this is a little beyond me." Seliha sadly nods. "I really need to be going. I will see you when I get back Seliha."

"We need to be going too." Seliha sits down and nods as the three of them leave, leaving Seliha in silence in the kitchen.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Talima returns from the legal office with a datapad in hand. "I hope the wording is what you wanted Amistathya." She holds out the pad to Amistathya who gingerly takes it and reads the two lines of text. She nods to Talima and signs it at the bottom before holding the pad out to Sam.

"I was going to make a joke at this point. It however feels entirely inappropriate to do so." Sam very quickly reading the very short documentation. He pauses to look at the owners signature box for a few moments before taking a breath and signing it. "That I think was the most difficult thing I have ever had to sign." Sam handing the pad back to Talima who goes back into the office. "We will have a private talk when we get back to the house Amistathya. I feel it would be best to get a bit of an understanding between us." Amistathya nods seemingly unsure as to what to do.

It is not long before Talima returns holding a pair of datapads. "These are for both of you for your own records." Amistathya nods as she accepted hers. Sam takes his without wishing to even register it.

"Is it normal for Sha'ira to randomly disappear to various places?"

"Yes Sam. Where to and what for, I rarely get to find out."

"We should head to the house. I am sure Sha'ira will join us later." Talima nods and Amistathya follows the two of them out of the building to get a shuttle to the house.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The shuttle lands on the visitors pad and the three of them get out. "I am guessing you have one house and the commandos have the other Sam?"

"Yes Talima, it seems to work reasonably well." Sam looks to Amistathya who seems a little fearful of the left hand house. "Amistathya, they are our security from media and various people trying to attack us. While they look scary I think most of them are a bit wimpy. Please do not tell them I said that." Amistathya nods seemingly a little happier with Sam's joke. The three of them walk through the front door with Sam noticing Seliha looking upset sat in the seating area. "Seliha. Could I ask what is going on?" Sam guessing something has happened given she is not in work and looking a little upset.

"It is happening again." Sam sits down on the sofa opposite gesturing Amistathya to join him. Talima took a seat next to Seliha.

"Explain from the start for those of us who only know something is happening."

"I have duality syndrome Sam. Basically I am the same individual with two differing sets of rules. Usually sufferers live in their dominant personality and so can usually control their submissive personality."

"Why do I get the feeling you are the other way around."

"I have been trained to live in my submissive personality deliberately Sam. That means I have no control over what happens or what I can remember as the dominant personality controls memories and has greater influence over switching."

"Wait so this is deliberate?" Sam getting a little edgy.

"Yes, I also do not know if I have any particular skills or not as well. The reason I am here though and not at work is I supposedly attacked Kate this morning." Amistathya seemed to go rigid at the thought.

"I am guessing you cannot remember ever doing it?"

"No Sam. They all looked at me as if I was insane or being deliberately evil. They never told me what happened before they left. I did apologise but I do not think that is enough."

"Ok, I think we can work around this as long as the other you is not unreasonable. Could I ask if you see the one next to me as competition?"

"In what way Sam?"

"In the, everyone seems to want to get into bed with Sam, way."

"It would be dishonest of me to say no, however I understand entirely that we are friends."

"So the answer is yes then, which would explain the message you had Adastra send to me." Seliha looks puzzled. "You said if I brought the Asari back you would not meld with me."

"Evidently my other personality trusts her own emotions more than logical reasoning. I apologise for sending such a remark Sam."

"I think I may have some comeback to come from my reply I sent back. I said I could get another marked Asari yet you would probably not get another human until you were a matriarch."

"That was a bit mean Sam." Sam shrugs.

"Anyway, I need to do some introducing after all that effort. Sitting next to you is Talima who is one of the consort's acolytes." The two of them nod to each other. "Then sitting to my right is Amistathya." Sam being deliberate in making his pronunciation as good as he can.

"Sam has done a good job of keeping you entirely a secret. Your name is not all that easy to pronounce either." Seliha seemingly confused as to how to go about pronouncing it.

"Seliha, I know that after three days. I have no doubt messed up many times. It is Aymi-sta-theia Seliha." Seliha seems to make a mental note. "I have not been withholding information, I just know so little. Maybe I am just a bit taken by her soft refreshing voice. Anyway I could do with setting a few rules and showing the sky blue one around."

"Sky blue... Oh I get it." Sam just laughs a little.

"Yes and you would be the purple one, Adastra turquoise and Fosanta dark blue. Amistathya would you like to follow me?" The sky blue one nods and they both go upstairs and into the first room on the left, the spare room on the same side as Adastra and Seliha's. Sam locks the door once Amistathya has entered before moving to lock the bathroom door. "Take a seat on the bed if you wish." She does so as she looks around. Sam takes a seat next to her. "Would you rather sleep alone or with me in here Amistathya?" She looks a bit confused. "Yes I know I am meant to tell you what to do. I however have something to tell you which you may not like so it is a sort of reward. Of course I can remove it when I wish in the future but for now it is your choice."

"Could you tell me the news first?"

"I know the reason why you have the hypersensitive skin. I know you do not trust anyone who knows too much but I feel it is only right for me to tell you."

"How did you find out?"

"Amistathya please remember that you are not in the best position to ask." Sam sighs. "Sha'ira wanted to show me but after she found out I could not have a separated memory she was unwilling to tell me anything but the minimum amount of details."

"I would like to hear what you know."

"I would also like you to sleep in here tonight. Remember you need to learn not to ask too many questions. I am fine with you asking questions, however asking for clarification on answers, if it is unnecessary for completing something, is not. I will however answer you question given you are to be in here tonight." Amistathya reluctantly nods. "I only know it was forced chemical burns and the method was a bucket and scrubbing brush. I know nothing more as Sha'ira was unwilling to say anything else." Amistathya nods. "Just two more rules for you. The first is I would like you to try to verbally respond rather than nodding or shaking your head. It may make you feel a little less secure to begin with but you might gain a bit of confidence eventually from doing so. I will not be strict on enforcing that rule however, just try your best. Second is unless you are doing anything that you need your arms for, so opening doors, carrying something, eating or something similar, I would like you to fold them behind your back with the palm of each hand over the opposite elbow. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Sam was particularly impressed at the speed in which she complied but he remembered he cannot ask if she has had to do this before.

"I need to say now that I think Kate will probably have some difficulty with your name for a while. Please be patient with them as even I find it a little difficult and I have had three days longer to get used to it."

"Most people struggle with it, it is nothing new to me." Sam nods before the two of them get up and go a tour around the house which ended at the seating area where they started.

"I am guessing you made the dinner Seliha." Sam sitting down and gesturing Amistathya to do the same.

"I did. I have nothing else to do here except feel bad about myself so I thought I would make something to eat."

"Talima did you watch Seliha make the food."

"No Sam, I had some messages I needed to address."

"I have done nothing to the food, please trust me." Seliha looking down towards the floor. Sam knew Amistathya was safe until he told her to eat. He had a bit of a funny feeling that she usually would have added his name into that comment which was ringing alarm bells. Sam decides to see if he can have a chat.

"Do you see Amistathya as a threat to you?" Seliha did not seem to expect that response.

"Yes, I have the marked one and I would like you. That cannot happen if there is a third player."

"And if the second and third players are interlinked then what, legally you have no leg to stand on and... great."

"I see you remembered the glaring target in your contract. I decided to have a look while you were wondering around. You will break this contract by tomorrow or I will break you."

"That is nice to know Seliha. Amistathya could you tell me how you got hypersensitive skin?" Sam hoped she would say what he had said earlier.

"Chemical burns Sam." Seliha seemed pleased as Sam struggled not to show his hand.

"Congratulations Seliha, you are as bad as Adastra in manipulating me." The doorbell rings and Talima gets up to answer it. "Which food did you taint Seliha?"

"I did not taint any of them Sam. Can no one trust me to be nice?" Sha'ira looks carefully at Seliha as she walks towards them.

"It is hard to trust anyone Seliha. Even yourself at times."

"How do you..."

"It is easy to know your name when I know everyone else in the house except you. My name is Sha'ira it is a pleasure to meet you." Seliha nods before seemingly thinking of something.

"Could I ask why you are here and not the Citadel?"

"I have certain people I like to help, as they have helped me. Sam is one of those individuals. I thought it was only right that I should see how Amistathya would settle in, as well as wish Adastra a happy three hundred and sixty second birthday."

"Adastra is not going to be back for a while Sha'ira." Sam shuffles up next to Amistathya and Sha'ira takes a seat looking at each of the plates she swaps Talima's with Sam's.

"Have something to eat Sam you cannot live off nothing. I would recommend you do the same Amistathya." She looks to Sam who nods before she removes her arms from behind her and begins eating. "Seliha why did you put sleeping pills into those two meals?"

"I did not, or at least I do not remember doing. It has not happened again has it?"

"Could I ask how you know it is sleeping pills Sha'ira?" Sam confused as to how she can be so specific.

"I do not know for definite but sleeping pills are something that are occasionally in the house which give that kind of lustre to food." Sam wondered if there was anything she did not know before getting back to concentrating on answering Seliha's question.

"In answer to your question Seliha, yes it has happened again. You seem to want every unique thing in this galaxy to yourself. Why did you only give me until tonight to make me break the contract with my blue one."

"My feelings are I would like to be your first."

"Too late there Seliha, Sha'ira got me this morning. Admittedly it did have a reason and was not for fun but still." Seliha looks a little down. "Seliha this does not mean I am going to walk out of your life, I just wish to do what I would like. Anyway I think Adastra would get bored with someone who is normal. You seem to be interesting enough with your newly expressed evil but not quite unreasonable streak."

"You have a point as you are too safe. I will not pursue you further, I apologise." Sam and Talima look a little surprised at that announcement. Sha'ira seems too interested in Amistathya to be caring too much.

"Amistathya I hope you do not mind me asking but did you think Galactic Acceptance did a good job?" Amistathya looks to Sam who nods.

"Perhaps for someone else they would but they scared me." Amistathya being honest about her experience without giving anything away.

"Sha'ira, they made a few mistakes with Amistathya but they did at least ask for extra help instead of giving up. I am sure for people who can trust others they would be an excellent resource. Do you think that is the best way to word it Amistathya?"

"You would be a better judge Sam."

"I am curious as to why you asked Sha'ira?"

"I have something I wish to show you tomorrow. I was trying to gauge how much Amistathya would like the idea." Adastra, Kate and Fosanta walk in the to be slightly surprised by the large number of people.

"Happy birthday Adastra." Sam getting up and giving her a hug.

"Thank you Sam. Do we have some kind of consort magnet on us or something?" Adastra grinning at the surprise visit.

"No Adastra. I am repaying a debt, I thought it was only right to speak to you on your birthday as well." Adastra nods with a smile as she gets a hug from Sha'ira.

"Kate, Fosanta are you going to come nearer to greet Sha'ira." Fosanta practically drags Kate closer who is keeping a careful eye on Seliha. Sam laughs "I would also not touch the food on the table."

"It is good to see you both again. I see Seliha has had a bit of an effect on you Kate." Fosanta nods in greeting.

"She attacked me for no reason." Kate still a little shaken from this morning.

"I see you are not like Sam." Sha'ira seems to think for a few moments. "I would like to speak to you later." Kate nods still watching the Asari in the corner.

"I think everyone knows Talima even if the last meeting was brief." Sam finishing off the announcements.

"Happy birthday Adastra." Talima giving Adastra a hug.

"Thank you. Are you going to introduce your mystery person Sam?" Adastra taking a seat between Seliha and Talima.

"Everyone the shy one next to me is Amistathya. She will likely not trust any of you, at least to begin with, but please be kind to her." Sam waiting for the comments to come from everyone about the name but especially from Kate about the contract.

"Could you say her name again Sam?"

"Aymi-sta-theia, Fosanta. I know it is rather strange and not as easy as all your names, please do your best though."

"It is good to meet you Amistathya." Adastra actually doing well with the pronunciation. She gives Adastra a nod.

"Is it not uncomfortable to sit like that?" Kate skipping her name. Sam could only laugh at the predictability. Amistathya looks to Sam.

"Be honest."

"It is a little." Kate looking towards Sam in a slightly glaring manner.

"Kate, I thought it was less mean than to make her stand all the time. It is also unintrusive and practical." Kate looks back at Amistathya who did not seem to be at all bothered by having to fold her arms behind her. "Adastra, there is a present on your bed for you to open later." Adastra jumps up and starts walking towards the stairs. "Adastra, I said later." Adastra just smiled at Sam who can only shake his head before she disappears upstairs.

"Kate and Fosanta, could I have a quick word with you two about a couple of things?"

"Of course Sha'ira." Kate nodding a little annoyed still at not being able to have a go at Sam. Fosanta leads them upstairs.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sha'ira locks the bedroom door after she has entered as Fosanta does the same with the bathroom one. "I have one piece of advice and one question, which would you rather have first?" Sha'ira sitting down uncomfortably close to Kate on the bed. Kate looks to Fosanta who joins them.

"I think the question."

"I agree with Fosanta." Sha'ira nods.

"Do either of you two have something you wish to do but need some help with? I am going to show Sam and Amistathya something tomorrow and I would be happy to help you in a similar way."

"What are you showing them?"

"Sorry Kate, I cannot say. I can however say it is for a charity event. I can either try and help you to do something for a charity of your own choosing, create something a bit different for the same charity or do nothing. It is up to you."

"I do not know any charities, I think I will let you answer this one Fosanta."

"Thank you." Kate smiling back at Fosanta. "Could I ask what charity Sam's surprise is for?"

"I am sure you can guess, it is where he has been most of the week. Galactic Acceptance try to provide support and help to sufferers of physical and mental problems. I have been quite close to them for many decades now and I do wish they could get the investment to expand."

"Why have they not done any fund-raising to get the required investment?"

"They have done small events in the past which got them known but the time and effort involved for very little return made them turn to requesting donations off companies and organisations. I would happily give you a bit of a hand to get an event started if you wanted."

"Sounds like a good cause and we could have a bit of a competition with Sam." Fosanta getting a smile from Kate.

"But where do we start?"

"Well Sam asked for a venue Kate so that is what I am going to show him tomorrow. You can sort a venue out yourself and I will help with something else if you wish."

"Well the two most difficult things are going to be getting the venue and promoting. Can you only help us with one thing?"

"Unfortunately, unless you wish to repay me Kate. Galactic acceptance will help with electronic advertising on billboards and help you with journalists. You will have to arrange tv coverage and any other help you need."

"Could we get back to you on this?"

"Of course. On to my piece of advice, Seliha may be a problem for you two now."

"That is really helpful." Kate being a little sarcastic.

"Kate, I melded with Sam this morning which seems to have made Seliha give up on chasing him. It may mean you are next on the list given you are the only other human."

"You are not joking about the melding are you as Sam has said that nearly every time someone has visited him."

"No, I had little choice. You two however do."

"Are there any side effects?"

"It is addictive Kate. I must however leave to speak to Amistathya. You have my offer and my advice."

"Could I ask why she has such a strange name? Everyone else's is much easier to pronounce."

"I do not know why Kate but it reminds me of a disused Asari dialect from the southern temperate region on Thessia probably four thousand years ago. It is spelt A,m,i,s,t,a,t,h,y,a." Fosanta jots down the spelling in her Omni-tool.

"I wonder why she has never changed it as surely everyone finds it a problem?"

"Perhaps she like likes the name Fosanta. As you know some people also do not take well to people trying to shorten their names either."

"I am well aware of that Sha'ira. I am one of them." Sha'ira nods.

"I must leave you two with the advice." The two of them nod as Sha'ira gets up and leaves.

"What did she mean by shortening names Fosanta?"

"You do not, it is that simple. Please remember that Kate." Kate nods seeing it is a bit of a touchy subject.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra walks down the stairs in an elegant full length green and orange dress, a broad smile on her face. "Goddess. You look wonderful Adastra." Seliha getting up to get a closer look.

"I was rather annoyed at first when I saw it exposed flesh but when I put it on, cleverly all my markings are covered, of course excluding my hands but I have given up caring about those. I also love the colour so I must thank you massively Sam." Sam gets up and gives Adastra a hug.

"That is no problem. I had an afternoon to waste, as you said previously it is very difficult to find something that is right for you." Sha'ira walks down the stairs after talking to Kate and Fosanta to see the back of Adastra.

"Well, I did not think you would ever risk wearing a dress Adastra."

"Usually I would not Sha'ira but the exposed flesh down the right hand side misses every marking. It is a real pain finding something when you do not have a regular pattern."

"I can imagine. Sam could I have a quick talk to you and Amistathya?"

"Of course." Sam gets up, Amistathya following giving Adastra a light smile and nod as she walks past. Sam leads the way into their room and locks the door once the three of them are inside. Amistathya sits at the head end and Sha'ira gives her plenty of personal space. Sam sits the other side of Sha'ira.

"What did you wish to talk about?"

"I wished to speak to Amistathya about what I said this morning to you." Sam nods. "I apologise Amistathya but this will not be easy news to take. I know about the skin burning on Omega, more than I would like to be honest. I am going to omit details for Sam's sake, do you understand?" Amistathya nods a little upset. "I found this memory while trying to help a badly damaged Asari at Galactic Acceptance. I tried to put as many of the pieces together which were left in her mind as possible. A realisation dawned after I had spent several hours working that she was not much more than a functional body with a terrible secret. I told her what I had discovered and over the next few days she declined rapidly before taking her own life." Sam moved places to sit the other side of Amistathya who was crying but never moved her arms to wipe them away.

"Amistathya, you can wipe your tears away. I do not know who this relates to but it must have been someone you knew." Amistathya more smudges than wipes the tears away. Sam puts a very gentle arm around her causing her to look at him. He was just about to move it away before he saw a faint warmth to her sadness.

"Amistathya, I need you to know that somewhere out there you have a step-sister. She will be a hundred and five and probably has purple markings if she has any but that is not definite." Amistathya nods. "Could I ask if you are at the moment thinking of staying with Sam?" Amistathya moves onto Sam's knee before putting both arms around him and putting her head on his shoulder. Sam seemed a bit flummoxed as to what to do but he just goes with it and puts his arms carefully around the sad sky blue one. "Well that seems a little obvious. I think it could be an idea for you two to consider melding."

"I sense a reason why."

"You will probably experience a bit about Amistathya's past Sam. I need to warn you now Amistathya would be considered dangerous in council space. I will give you any help that you need to help you recover on Sunday morning before I must travel back to the Citadel."

"This is a lot to ask. If I do this I will end up on the list as well I am guessing?" Sha'ira nods. "I know I have done something roughly similar before, but a full meld with someone I know barely anything about is something else. Do you have anything to say Amistathya?" The upset Asari on his knee sits up and wipes her eyes again.

"No Sam. I will be happy with whatever decision you make."

"Do you think it is a good idea for me to meld?" Amistathya closes her eyes and takes a breath before looking back at Sam.

"No one sane would trust their mind to someone who should be on the dangerous list Sam." Amistathya hoping being honest was the best idea.

"I am guessing you suggested this for a reason Sha'ira?"

"This decision was almost inevitable Sam given Amistathya's seeming enthusiasm to stay with you. It may as well be now. Amistathya is in a contract with you so she is going to have to help you for at least that period of time."

"I know hardly anything about you Amistathya." Sam feeling a little pressure from her sitting on his knee. "To be honest you did not seem to wish to harm me on Thessia when we connected." Sam thinks he can see a building excitement in her grey eyes. "One condition, that if we find out we are not meant to be together later then we remain good enough friends to be able to meld. Does that sound reasonable Amistathya?

"Of course Sam." Amistathya looking a little upset but yet happy at the same time. She gives Sam a heartfelt hug before having to go back to drying her eyes on his shoulder.

"I think we have a deal which although I am a little unsure about, is fairly reasonable."

"There must be something I am missing here. I am however glad that you seem to have worked out a suitable agreement. I will be downstairs." Sam nods and Sha'ira leaves looking back as she does so, wondering quite what happened.

Sam moves his right hand to gently stroke Amistathya's head moving from her forehead to the tip. He tilts his head to see a small smile appear on her damp face. "Amistathya we could do with getting something to eat and I would be disappointed if there was not cake. I know you cannot taste it but I am sure it will be good non-the-less." Amistathya sits up and gives Sam a smile.

"I saw how much you seemed to care about Adastra. I am glad you seem to be doing the same for me. Thank you."

"You did not need to thank me. I think you deserve a reward for both playing along with the trick on Seliha and for being a little more comfortable now. If you wish you can sit on my knee for the evening and you may use your arms as you wish."

"I would like that Sam."

"I am happy to hear that. We should head downstairs."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"If I had known food was out I would have made more of an effort to get down here sooner." Sam stating in a slightly joking manner as he enters the dining room seeing two plates of food in front of two empty chairs.

"What happened Sam?" Kate clearly confused by the wet face coupled with a slight smile Amistathya had brought in.

"Amistathya and I have a bit of a mutual agreement now which seems beneficial to both of us." Sam sitting down on the seat next to Talima and patted his knee. Amistathya sat down and moved her plate next to Sam's before the two of them started eating. "What?" Sam saying through a mouthful of food looking at the mass of shocked faces. Sha'ira could only watch on with a smile.

"I thought you said she did not trust anyone Sam?"

"I did Kate. I think Amistathya is beginning to tentatively trust me though given I have just had my first hug off her."

"So you honestly are not holding anything back from us Sam as I cannot see why you would bring her back to Illium."

"Adastra, I felt sorry for being mean to her and the glimpses of her personality I have seen I have really liked. Amistathya, I think everyone would really like to see them. I will not force you as it is your decision." Sam gesturing her to take her gloves off under the table where no one else can see.

"Like to see what Sam?"

"I missed telling you one thing Adastra. It is entirely up to Amistathya if she wishes to show you as I know it is difficult for her." Sam looks to Amistathya who seemed a little torn. "Trust me you will be fine if you wish to." Amistathya cautiously removes her left glove to a small gasp from a couple of people around the table. She carefully removes the second before trying her best to hide the markings. Sha'ira looked a little confused by the mixed emotions she was getting.

"I think me saying surprise would be a little irrelevant now." Sam trying to jog people into talking instead of gawping.

"That I was not expecting Sam. You do seem to get on well with Asari who have markings. Amistathya I do not blame you for wearing gloves as I am well aware of the problems. Your hands however are wonderful." Adastra knowing full well how difficult having the odd marking on her hands has been. Amistathya could only nod in response.

"Adastra, it is not the markings. After seeing you and Seliha it is practically normal for me. There is something else I cannot explain that I like." Amistathya getting a few more mouthfuls of food while people are concentrating more on Sam than her hands.

"Sha'ira I think I can safely say that her hands are beautiful but why do you look a little down about being shown?"

"Kate be grateful you do not know." Amistathya shovels the last mouthful off food into her mouth before hiding her hands again by folding her arms.

"I have always wondered what it would be like if I had markings on my hands. If they were like your markings Amistathya I would be proud about having them." Seliha seemingly slightly envious and managing to get her name as well. Kate goes into the kitchen.

"Sam are those real?" Amistathya recoils a little, Sam puts his hands around her which seems to make her feel a little safer.

"Amistathya it is ok. I think Fosanta is surprised at the ridiculously low odds of having three marked Asari in one house."

"Yes, I apologise Amistathya, I meant no offence." Fosanta clearly finding that writing it down has helped a little. "I personally think you hands look excellent." Kate walks through the doorway with a cake which she puts on the table.

"Happy birthday Adastra." Adastra's face lighting up as she sees the turquoise and blue icing. Kate looked around everyone and sees Sam with his arms around Amistathya. "I thought you said not to touch her Sam?"

"Amistathya, be honest. Are you ok with me touching you?"

"Yes Sam, as long as you are careful."

"I did say not to Kate, but she seems comfortable with it. I do however have no idea how much is too much so I am barely touching her." Kate nods with an edge of reluctance. "I really like the cake design." Sam noting it was a bit plain but the turquoise markings on one side of the blue icing was a nice touch.

"I do too Sam, Can I get a bit?" Everyone nods as Adastra goes for the knife and gets a large wedge. Seliha takes over and cuts pieces for everyone else while Adastra starts stuffing her face.

"Good cake. What do you think Sam?"

"I agree, I see Adastra is not too keen given half of it is around her mouth." Sam getting a bit of a laugh out of everyone except Amistathya. Adastra just continued eating. "Could I ask why the commandos are not here?"

"I accidently mentioned about them getting tested to see who was the best biotic. I forgot that biotic testing at Illium was today as at Thessia it is on a Monday. I said to Adastra we will do something tomorrow." Sam nodding to Seliha.

"Sha'ira, you said you had something to show me tomorrow. Is it just something I can see or can it be a group outing of sorts?"

"Fosanta and Kate cannot unless they make a decision before we leave."

"I will not ask. I could however really do with getting a good nights sleep, and that means one with less individuals letting their hands wander." Sam looking to Sha'ira who just smiles.

"I heard about you melding with Sha'ira."

"I am glad Sha'ira told you Kate as you probably would not have believed me. Actually on the subject of sleeping, where are you two sleeping tonight?" Sam looking at Talima and Sha'ira.

"We have not yet made any sleeping arrangements." Sha'ira seemingly looking at Sam for an answer.

"I will be with this bundle of fun tonight. I think there is a spare room but you will need to haggle Kate and Fosanta for it." Sam looks to Amistathya. "Could you let me get up to go to bed?" Amistathya gets up and collects her gloves before following Sam upstairs.

"I despise that we have a slave in the house." Kate finally voicing her thoughts.

"Could Talima and myself sleep in your spare room Kate?" Sha'ira ignoring her thoughts on Sam and Amistathya.

"You have no problem with it?"

"No Kate as it was Amistathya who offered. Fosanta could we have the room or would you rather I made alternative arrangements?"

"You can have the room Sha'ira. Kate they seemed to be happy enough together." Kate reluctantly backs off feeling a little outnumbered.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam locks the door once Amistathya has entered. "I am just going to get a shower. I will be back shortly." Amistathya nods sitting down on the bed taking in her new environment. It is not too long before she hears the shower finish running. "Why Adastra?" Sam sticking his head around the door to show his fluorescent yellow face. "Sorry if you do not like yellow people Amistathya." Sam ducks behind the door for a few seconds before walking into the room. The yellow skin a jarring contrast to his dark hair. Amistathya could only smile. "If you like that you will like that you are next, just to warn you you will be green for the next eight or so hours." Amistathya's smile seemed to vanish.

"Sam, I know I should not, however I feel I must say that I have an allergy to something in the coloured gels. It was a long week after I had come into contact with it last time." Sam remembers that for later.

"Is the allergy only from using it?"

"Yes I am fine being around people who use it. It must be something in the gel that is washed away."

"That sounds logical. I will go and knock Adastra out with the bottle and get back the normal stuff. I will not be long." Amistathya nods as Sam exits and walks downstairs. "We were doing well until some nameless person decided to make me highlighter yellow." Sam looks at a point between Adastra and Seliha.

"You look ridiculous Sam?"

"I said to Adastra that yellow would look awful on me Kate. All I want is my normal stuff back as Amistathya has an allergy to something in the coloured gels."

"Really?" Adastra sounding a little shocked.

"Adastra, I would not be asking if I thought there was an outside chance of it being true. Luckily I showered first otherwise this may have been a really long night."

"Why did you even do it Adastra?"

"Fosanta, I understand she did not know and was only trying to have a joke. If this particular joke does happen again I will be really annoyed and disappointed though. Could you give me the normal stuff back?"

"Of course, sorry Sam." Adastra getting up off her seat and walking with Sam upstairs.

"I best be getting some sleep as I see tomorrow being lengthy. Are you going to join me Talima?"

"Do either of you three need me for anything?" Talima gets three shaking heads in response before turning to Sha'ira. "I will mistress." They give a quick smile of acknowledgement to each other before leaving the room.

"Is Talima a servant?"

"It is possible her work contract is quite similar Kate. The only major differences will probably be she will be getting paid well and will have a few weeks holiday a year. With that I am going to head for bed."

"Goodnight Seliha." Seliha nods to the two of them as they leave.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam and Adastra walk into the bedroom from the bathroom. "Amistathya I must apologise. I did not know and it was only intended as a joke." Amistathya looked to Sam who nodded.

"I understand, I am just glad I did not shower first."

"I hope you sleep well Adastra." Adastra nods to the two of them before walking out of the door and back downstairs. Sam locks the door after she has left. "Yes I made her test it on herself so that I know it is the normal stuff." Sam hands the bottle to Amistathya who carefully takes it into the bathroom with her.

It is not too long before Amistathya appears from the bathroom, she locks the door and turns to look at Sam sitting up in bed. "I am reasonable in that I will listen to any worries or important information you may have Amistathya. I would rather know the consequences of my actions so that I can make an informed choice."

"So you are not to punish me?"

"If it was something trivial then I perhaps would, but knowing you have an allergy is possibly relevant to other items not just the coloured gels. It is therefore helpful for me to know. Could I ask how do you usually sleep in bed?"

"Usually with nothing on Sam."

"I know you may not be happy but I am sure you know what I am expecting." Amistathya looks a little nervous. "I will not touch you deliberately Amistathya, so you need not worry. You do have the option of standing where you are all night if you wish."

"I would rather have a chance of sleeping Sam." Amistathya carefully removes her clothes and puts them in a neat pile on the desk chair before tentatively getting into bed. Sam shuffles down the bed before turning the light off and putting his head down.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**A long chapter but it was needed to round the Thessia trip off as well as provide progression. Next chapter will progress the main plot further as well as providing some resolution to a couple of questions in this chapter. You can read that on the 2nd of June.**

**Thank you all for reading.**


	31. Chapter 31 : Sharing Ideas

**Chapter 31 - Sharing Ideas**

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday 28th January<strong>

Kate walks into the kitchen not expecting Sha'ira and Talima to be sat down eating breakfast. "Oh hello."

"You sound surprised to see us Kate?"

"I thought I was up early Talima. My mind was trying to make decisions all night so I did not sleep too well."

"You could not decide whether to take my advice?" Sha'ira smiling to herself knowing this would happen.

"Sorry Sha'ira, unlike Sam I am perhaps a little more cautious."

"Cautious about what?" Seliha walking in with a cheery smile on her face, seemingly very refreshed after a good nights sleep. "If you are worried about me coming for you, then you would be correct. I am however biding my time as I know you are nervous."

"Seliha, will you ever be happy with Adastra?" Sha'ira wondering if this is going to be an ever running problem.

"If the other two are taken then I will be perfectly happy with her."

"I hope you are not saying I am third best Seliha." Adastra joking as she walks in only moments later to find breakfast, "Morning you three." Kate, Talima and Sha'ira nod.

"You are the third rarest, also you know what people say about pure blood children."

"It is not as bad as children with our condition Seliha. I am sure she would be perfectly fine."

"What do they say Adastra?" Fosanta walking into the conversation.

"Morning Fosanta. Well, I was basically the school target for bullies, and the nearest I got to friends is people who tolerated me. It was not a pleasant experience but I survived it. Perhaps that is why I felt I had to defend myself against people knowing what my markings looked like."

"I think you were trying to hide from yourself Adastra not hide yourself from everyone else. Morning everyone." Sam walking in followed by a tired looking Amistathya.

"You could be right Sam. How was your night?"

"Well I slept fine Adastra. I think the sky blue one was weary of sleeping when I was only about an arms width away." Sam starting to dig through the cupboards to find something remotely edible. He finds a two packets of something which were sort of like cardboard bricks with some sort of dried fruit in. "Could I ask if anyone actually likes these?" Sam waving the packet around.

"Armali left them here. I tried them one morning and they were so bland it was difficult eating just one. Have you tried them Sam?"

"Yes Kate, I had one bite, looked at the back of the packet and wondered if it was the packet I should have been eating as it says great breakfast."

"Typical Illium hype." Seliha seemingly speaking from experience. Sam reads the back of the packet again then checks the nutritional information against a few other foods.

"Well I cannot fault them on the nutritional front. Amistathya would you give them a try?" Sam knew this was a little mean, but it was both not wasting food, and making more space in the cupboard for something better. Amistathya carefully took the packet from Sam and stuck her gloved hand into the box to pull out a couple of the 'cardboard bricks'. Sam got something better out of the cupboard and sat down with everyone else. "So what is the plan for today?"

"I wish to show you something at some time. I would prefer it to be this morning."

"I remember, sorry. Are you two coming along?" Sam looking to Kate and Fosanta as he digs into his breakfast.

"I am leaving it up to Kate." Kate seems to take a few minutes before answering.

"I need more time to decide, we will not go with you." Sam looked a little displeased but shrugged it off.

"Fair enough. Amistathya how are those things?"

"They are not too bad." Sam nodding with a smile before eating the last mouthful of his breakfast.

"I am ready to leave then if everyone else is." Sam gets a nod off everyone except Kate and Fosanta. "We will see you two later then."

"Enjoy yourselves." Fosanta feeling a little left out but they would undoubtedly hear about it once they come back. The six of them walk out of the kitchen leaving Fosanta and Kate by themselves. "Are you still thinking we should ask Sha'ira for help with the venue?"

"To be fair she would have a better idea as to what we might need. Enough publicity would get us the TV coverage we need."

"I think that sounds sensible."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"It is good to actually see you all after being away. You did not want to see me last night?"

"Sorry Sam. We were having a bit of a competition."

"I heard about that Hymara. Who won?"

"Yasmari, which surprised us a little." Imphaya jumping in on the question. "Could we ask who the new person is Sam?"

"Oh I apologise. If you would have been around last night rather than partaking in a competition you would know this." Sam was tempted to say dick waving competition but it just did not translate well. Imphaya giving Sam a look of get on with it. "This is Amistathya, if you would kindly not touch her then everything will be fine." Sam turns to Amistathya. "Imphaya and Aumarva are Adastra's protection. Hymara and Lianta are mine and for all intents and purposes yours." Sam pointing to each of them as he names them. Amistathya nods half hiding behind Sam.

"We will not hurt you." Lianta trying to be friendly given she looks a little scared.

"Lianta, I think she understands that but she takes a while to trust people." Lianta nods. "I think we best head to the shuttle as I am guessing Adastra is itching to go." The six of them head to the shuttle where Sha'ira, Talima, Seliha and Adastra were waiting.

"Where are we going to Sha'ira?" Adastra wondering where to fly to now everyone has boarded the shuttle.

"Sentix Spaceworks Adastra." Adastra looked around to Sha'ira.

"Really?" She nods which gives Adastra a smile before she turns around and pilots the shuttle towards the space works.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Nineteen minutes later they were landing in Sentix Spaceworks' shuttle parking. "I am glad we are here. I am starting to dislike Nos Astra's weekend traffic more and more."

"Not as much as we dislike your weaving through traffic Adastra." Imphaya ceasing the opportunity for a joke.

"I was going to say you fly but I do not want dints in my shuttle." Adastra giving Impahya a bit of a disapproving look as she stands from her seat. Talima opens the shuttle door and everyone gets out.

"Why does every one of these buildings have to have a lift." Sam moaning to no one as they all get in and push the button for the ground floor.

"How else would we get between floors?" Imphaya clearly not seeing Sam finds them annoying.

"Escalators, suction tubes, jet packs, any of those would be better than these slow lifts."

"Jet packs?" Adastra only having a vague idea what each of those were.

"Sorry, mass effect core backpacks with some kind of propulsion added would probably be the nearest equivalent now." Adastra nods as the lift door opens onto a corridor, a convenient sign located on the opposite wall pointing right to the reception. The ten of them move down the corridor through a set of double doors into the reception area.

"Good morning Omepha."

"The same to you Sha'ira. Welcome everyone to Sentix Spaceworks. I guess you are all here to view the hanger?"

"We honestly have no idea what we are meant to be doing here Omepha?"

"Oh hello Adastra. The Enlighten was a bit of mess when we got it back."

"I was seeing how well built it was. I was quite surprised it survived a core discharge."

"As were we when we heard the news Adastra. I am sure we can talk about this another time. Sha'ira would you like to explain what is happening before we have a look around?"

"Of course. Sam you said you would do something to help Galactic Acceptance if you had a venue. Sentix have kindly offered you use of two of their hangers for the first week of May. The visit today was to show you the two hangers since they are currently unoccupied."

"That I did not expect, Omepha thank you."

"There is no need to thank me, I am not the owner of the company Sam. I will be sure to pass on your gratitude however." Sam nods. "If everyone could follow me we are going to make our way to hanger four."

"Hanger four?"

"Yes Adastra, you seem a little shocked?" Omepha opening the door while looking back at Adastra.

"I am as I read somewhere it is the second largest surface based hanger." The group of them walking over the long corridor to the packing area for the transport vehicles.

"Indeed it is Adastra. We usually use it for producing cargo vessels but we have produced parts for dreadnoughts in it as well." Sam was wondering if he had stuck his foot in it by saying he would do something if he had a venue. They all get on one of the largest vehicles and Omepha begins to drive down the corridor.

"Sha'ira, could I ask why you tried to get the biggest space you could think of?"

"I wanted the media to take an interest. Do you think that is a bad idea?" Sha'ira knew full well it wasn't but she wanted Sam to feel he has a choice.

"It depends on what I can do with the space."

"It is essentially just a building Sam so you can put in it any temporary structures you wish."

"I was meaning more things like power, water and whether there was any limits such as number of people Omepha."

"This is Illium Sam. As long as you do not injure people in the crowd by deliberate overcrowding there is no limits on the number." Omepha pulls the vehicle into the parking next to hanger four and everyone disembarks. "As Adastra said earlier this is our largest hanger and hanger five adjoins it. It would be possible to use hanger five for things like power generation, food outlets, services etc."

"That sounds like a good idea." Omepha opens the hanger door and holds it open before gesturing everyone to walk in.

"Goddess, Errr." Was all Adastra could get out as she viewed the expanse.

"This is a big space." Hymara stating the obvious her eyes showing a tiny amount of shock. Sam walks through the doors after the commandos.

"Great. This is a lot bigger than I imagined which could be a problem. Omepha what are the dimensions of this hanger?" Sam wondering what to do with such a vast expanse that just seemed to go on and on in all three dimensions.

"Nine hundred metres by five hundred metres Sam. The roof height is three hundred metres." Sam just looked around feeling so tiny in relation to the space.

"Hello!" Sam shouting into the room, his voice not echoing too badly, rather petering out before it has a chance to reflect. "Hmmm... Could I ask if anyone has used this hanger for an event before?"

"No, hanger one was used about twelve years ago but that is nearly eight times smaller."

"How did they handle sound as I am struggling here?"

"They used a large speaker array at the front of the hall. There were a few complaints about the sound being a little loud at the front and quiet at the back. They did say they would have preferred to have hung speakers from the gantry but they did not have enough time to do all the set-up required." Sam nods in thought.

"Sam, you could use the gantry to have multiple speakers like the others were planning." Seliha looking at the steel lattice two hundred and fifty metres above them. Sam opens his Omni-tool and crunches some numbers.

"Thank you Sha'ira." Sha'ira looks to Sam with a slightly curious expression on her face. "This is going to be a pain given a lack of time. Unless Armali have a design for a silly large plasma thruster then I am going to really struggle."

"What size are you talking Sam?"

"Well I am guessing the four smaller ones on the Enlighten had one metre plasma tubes." Adastra nods. "And the main thruster was about three?" Again Adastra nods. "I am talking more like twelve here and needing eight of them. The amount of power needed will be something silly though which is worrying me."

"We have run two fifteen metre thrusters in here before Sam. We did not even need to get in outside power generation, however keeping them fed with hydrogen gas was very difficult." Sam seems to have a quick think about something.

"Adastra, would it be possible to split the water in the thruster itself and just supply water to it instead of gas?"

"It would push up the energy use in the thruster quite a bit but it should be possible." Adastra thinking that sounds like a decent idea instead of having one electrolysis unit doing all the work.

"I will have a chat to Usarta on Monday and see if they would be willing to let us design them." Adastra nods. "Omepha, two things, first can we put soundproofing on the roof as long as it is easily removable afterwards and would you be willing to help us get any power that we would need?"

"I am sure our fusion core supplier will be able to meet any requirement you need as long as it fits in the hanger and has enough cooling. Just give me the specifications when you have them and we will see what we can do. The roof is already acoustically treated otherwise it would sound awful in here whilst working. I am sure you can treat any other surfaces you wish to as long as it causes no damage to anything." Sam looks up to the roof unable to determine from the distance if it does have anything at all on it.

"That is good to know, thank you. How big is hanger five just out of curiosity?"

"Five hundred by three hundred by two hundred metres Sam." Sam notes down the dimensions of both hangers for later before looking at the size of the hanger again. A random thought suddenly crossed his mind as he looks at all the free space. "Aumarva. You should have used a space like this instead of the shuttle bay on the Enlighten for your demonstration with Adastra."

"It is not that much better Sam, just bigger." Adastra thinks otherwise as she releases a biotic push into the air, splits it into eight and makes a petal of a flower with each piece of energy. Ompeha looks a little surprised at the demonstration as Amistathya hides behind Sam.

"Ooops. My apologies Amistathya. I should have known Adastra would have been unable to resist." Adastra looks a little sheepish. "It is ok Adastra it was my fault for reminding you. I just forgot that it would scare the sky blue one."

"So you were holding back on us?"

"Seliha, I do not know as much as I would like which pains me but I am unable to ask. She has said she was on the receiving end of having her biotics used against her. That is as much as I know and that is the reason I know she is scared now." Sam gives Amistathya a gentle hug which she seems to appreciate. "The reason why I never mentioned it is I did not want people abusing the fact she is scared of it." Seliha looks away from Sam.

"I am not doing well am I Sam. First the shower gel and now this. I apologise Amistathya but it is difficult for me to help myself at times."

"Adastra, it is fine as I know you would not harm Amistathya intentionally." Adastra nods to Sam. "Omepha, sorry for the little display. I think I have seen all I need for now, would it be ok if I contacted you in the future if I have any questions?" Omepha smiled to Sam.

"Of course. That would be what I am employed for. If that is everything you wish to see I will happily take you back to reception of you wish." Omepha gets a fair few nods with everyone else just walking out of the door.

"Sha'ira, did you deliberately pick the first week in May as I am curious?" Sam noting that that is the week immediately after Amistathya's contract runs out.

"I will discuss that and a few more things with you later Sam." Sam could only laugh a little at the predictably cryptic response as they all boarded the transport back to the reception.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate and Fosanta were sat in the seating area wondering quite where they had gone too given it was now well after lunch time. "If it is taking them this long to look around the venue then it must be large."

"What are you thinking Kate?"

"Sha'ira seems to like giving me puzzles to mentally solve."

"Kate. Just to let you know I was trying to pluck up the courage to ask you about the second thing Sha'ira mentioned yesterday. I have not been the one to ask in the past so I am a bit worried I might say something I should not." Kate shuffles up to Fosanta a little more before putting her arm around her waist.

"The worst that could happen is I get annoyed for a few hours Fosanta. I could never stay mad at you for long." Kate giving Fosanta a smile.

"I was going to ask you to meld with me as I am seriously considering having a child at some time Kate." Kate's face goes a little pale. "I wished to get to know you better to see if I would want you to be the child's father, or whether I need to keep looking. I am not exactly getting younger."

"I..." Kate trying to catch the thoughts flying around in her head. "You seriously think?"

"Kate, I do not know whether you are the night person for me or not as we have not melded. I have personally felt you have had a slight fear of Asari for some unknown reason. Doing this might help a little with that at least."

"I do have a bit of nervousness from when I first met Adastra and Shiala. When I realised you could mess with peoples minds. It is a bit of a fear, I hope you understand why though."

"I do but I need you to know this, in a full meld you enter my mind as well. I am trusting you not to mess with anything or I will come out worse. The fear is in both directions this time which is why it is so difficult for me to ask."

"How can I enter your mind?" Kate not quite getting what happens.

"The link is two way, everything becomes one. It is hard to explain." Fosanta hears people walk back in through the front door so abandons explaining further or waiting for a response. "You look cheery Adastra."

"Yes, how I can get excited about an empty building I do not know."

"Maybe because you made a pretty biotic flower in it." Sam reminding her which half makes her happy and half makes her sad that she scared Amistathya.

"Is anyone going to tell us?" Kate feeling a little left out and wanting to know.

"Does Sentix Spaceworks hanger four mean anything to you Fosanta."

"I think it... hanger four Adastra?" Adastra nods as if she has been on caffeine all morning. "How are you planning to use that?"

"I thought the same thing when I saw it Fosanta." Sam getting his oar in now. "Also sound is going to be a pain given the size." Fosanta nods.

"Is anyone going to explain to me?" Kate looks to Fosanta.

"I think they should tell you given they know more about it."

"It is quite literally huge given it is nine hundred metres long and five hundred metres wide. You literally feel tiny." Kate trying to envisage a hall that size and failing.

"Can you give me an idea of size?" Sam opens his Omni-tool and does some quick calculations.

"It would take about ten minutes to walk from one end to the other Kate." Sam thinking that seemed a little excessive but since he did not walk from one side to the other he could not prove it wrong.

"I hope you do not mind me interrupting but could I speak to yourself and Amistathya, Sam?" Sam nods to Sha'ira who has her pleasant smile on her face again. The three of then head off upstairs as Adastra, Seliha and Talima take a seat.

"What can you do with something that large?"

"Sam worked out you could get at least hundred and twenty five thousand people in it, and that sounded like a low estimate." Kate looks a little surprised.

"Sam seemed to think Sha'ira had sat the date to be the first week of May deliberately."

"Really Seliha, that soon?" Seliha nods to Kate.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The three of them head into the bedroom locking the door behind them before sitting on the bed. "My apologies for keep taking your time but I have a few pieces of information for you. Yes I make the arrangements for that week deliberately Sam. I am sure you can work out the reason." Sam nods knowing full well it was mostly for Amistathya's benefit. "The second is that I know you saw Adastra earlier on today Amistathya. You do not know much about Seliha yet so I will say she does not have that ability."

"I thought that might be the case but I was uncertain. How do you get to find out this kind of personal information?"

"Seliha participates in bioamp testing so getting information on her abilities is trivial Sam. That is however not the reason I asked you here. I needed to ask if you are both still happy to meld?" Sam looks to Amistathya and waits for her to get the hint.

"It is up to you Sam."

"Amistathya it is, however this is something that needs your input as well. Especially when you looked tired after last night." Amistathya looks a little uncomfortable at that thought. Sha'ira ever on the ball does not miss this either.

"Is this what you mentioned this morning in the kitchen Sam?"

"Yes, I do not want to force anything again as Thessia was difficult for both of us. I only want Amistathya to feel comfortable with any decision and that means allowing her to decide. I am sure it would be quite a while before we are both happy with the decision however." Sha'ira was contemplating whether to offer them an appointment to see her on the Citadel in a months time or not. "Amistathya, do you think the meld would make you more comfortable?"

"It might Sam as I may have a better idea of what your intentions may be afterwards."

"I will take that as a good sign. I think it is a reluctant agreement again Sha'ira."

"I understand. I would recommend melding for the first time, on the floor, or in the bathroom. You may thank me later for that advice as you will not be expecting what you will see. Amistathya, you must if Sam is not happier after twenty minutes find me quickly. Do you understand?" Amistathya nods. "Sam as soon as you have finished melding push all that information you get into the recessed memory space. It will be difficult but you need to do this as quickly as possible."

"I will try my best." Sam feeling a little nervous.

"I will leave you two for now. It would be better before having food. Come and find me when you are done, or Amistathya if after twenty minutes Sam is not happier." The two of them nod and Sha'ira leaves hoping everything goes well. Sam gets up and locks the door.

"I have a rough idea what Sha'ira is implying so I would rather be in the bathroom. Is that ok?"

"Yes. This is not going to be at all pleasant. I do apologise." Amistathya looking a little pained

"As far as I know it is not your fault so you need to stop apologising. The only reason I am agreeing is I cannot ask about your past and this is about the only way for me to find out. As long as help me through whatever happens then I am ok with it." Amistathya nods before standing up, Sam does the same before they walk into the bathroom and lock the doors.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sha'ira approaches the sitting area. "I see everyone is here." The five of them turn to look at Sha'ira who takes a seat next to Talima. "I need to tell everyone here that Sam may seem to become slightly depressed for a while. Please do not ask him why, he will say when he is ready."

"Could I ask why Sha'ira?" Kate feeling a little protective of Sam.

"Amistathya has not had the best of lives Kate. He will experience some of that and I think it will affect him badly at first."

"So you are letting him do it?"

"Yes. I really do not wish to discuss this any further as it is private information." Sha'ira closes her eyes and takes a breath. "Have you made any decisions yet you two?" Sha'ira looking towards Kate and Fosanta.

"I think we need some more time to discuss it alone." Kate looking to Fosanta.

"I think we have enough time before we eat." Fosanta standing up. "We will be back shortly." Sha'ira nods as Kate stands and follows Fosanta up the stairs.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I know the original idea was to treat this as a bit of a competition Kate but Sam is going to need as much help as he can get." Kate barely getting through the bedroom door before Fosanta started talking.

"I thought the same thing Fosanta. I was really after a talk about the latter discussion we had."

"There is not much more I can say unfortunately Kate. It is one of those experience only things. I hope you are not feeling forced into it as I would understand if you said no."

"Do you mind if I said I will make a decision before bed time?" Kate thinking the time limit would help.

"Of course not Kate. So we are going to help Sam?"

"I was thinking of it as it sounds huge. Also I might be able to do a bit of public relations work which is what I used to do back on Earth."

"I am sure any help he can get he will appreciate. I think we should go back downstairs as I am hungry." Kate gives Fosanta a quick hug before they both leave the room.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Amistathya was a little worried about Sam given it was approaching twenty minutes and he didn't seem to be improving. Suddenly he seems to become less pained and moves his hand to dry his eyes. "Amistathya, could I ask if you trust me now?" Sam getting up and giving Amistathya a hug.

"As long as you do not use what you know against me, yes." Sam shedding a couple more tears but a bit confused as to why.

"I have experience of that from Adastra. Also given I cannot remember what I saw it would be difficult. I am hoping you do not do the same to me with what you found out."

"I will not Sam."

"I could really do with a drink as my throat is sore. Could I ask if I will see that each time I meld?"

"With enough practice you should be able to avoid it Sam. It will be difficult not to though."

"I think I may become numb to it eventually. Are you ok to go downstairs?"

"Yes Sam." The two of them leave the bathroom to go downstairs. Sam using Amistathya for balance trying not to put any weight on her.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate and Fosanta rejoin the others on the seats. "Sha'ira we have decided to help Sam with his event."

"An admirable decision, did you decide on the other topic?"

"Not yet. I have given myself a couple of hours. I am a bit weary of the whole melding thing to be honest."

"If you trust the other person then there is nothing to worry about Kate." Adastra trying to be helpful but probably not being given Kate's expression.

"I wonder how long Sam will be?"

"I hope they will both be down here in a couple of minutes."

"I think I will make some food then while we are waiting." Kate getting up, Fosanta, Talima and Adastra also going to help.

"Is there a reason why you did not leave with Adastra Seliha?" Sha'ira a little confused.

"Two, first I feel myself drawn to Kate so I need to stay out of her way this evening. The second is I did not want to harm anyone by tampering with the food. Perhaps I am being too hard on myself but I really do not want bad things happening."

"I understand but you must remember that what you are doing now is being allowed by your other self Seliha. I agree with you trying for now but give Amistathya a bit of time to settle in then try and move back to your dominant personality."

"You think so? All I tend to get afterwards is complaints of being generally evil."

"I do not think you are unreasonable so you should be able to tame the aggressive edge." Seliha nods to Sha'ira before pondering the thought. It is only a few seconds later before Sam and Amistathya appear from upstairs. "Could I ask how you both are?"

"Really, really, strange. I have lots of conflicting emotions but I do not know what from which coupled with the sloppy brain feeling is just odd. I hope you do not mind if I get a drink?"

"Of course not" Sam nods before using the walls and furniture for balance as he makes his way to the kitchen. "Amistathya how are you?"

"I am fine. I just hope I did not cause any lasting damage."

"I think Sam will be ok Amistathya. You just need to help him along when he needs it." She nods before taking a seat.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam carefully walks into the kitchen to a hive of activity. "How long before it is ready?" Sam walking to the cupboard for a glass, leaning on the counter top for balance.

"About fifteen minutes Sam."

"I am glad to hear that Fosanta as I need time to let my stomach settle." Sam drinking the glass of water as Kate looks at him clearly wanting to ask what happened. "All you need to know is it caused me to throw up. I am trying to stop my throat of burning."

"Maybe now is not the best time to ask but I have asked Kate to meld with me, but she is a little reluctant. Do you have any input Sam?"

"Kate, my melding experience has been rather strange up to now but you must try it at least once and I think Fosanta is as safe as you are going to get. It is indescribably odd and the liquid brain feeling afterwards is so addictive it is ridiculous." Sam smiles at the thought before making his way out of the kitchen back to the seating area.

"I do not like the sound of the liquid brain feeling."

"Kate, it is not actually melting your brain. As I said when we first met, there are no lasting side effects if the other person is not malicious. I highly doubt Fosanta would want to hurt you."

"Do you have any advice Talima since everyone else has given me theirs?"

"The advice you have had from Adastra and Sam is sound. I personally would recommend trying it while close to each other in bed first and then go from there."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I must thank you Sha'ira for recommending the bathroom."

"No problem Sam as I expected that reaction. I do hope it has not caused you any problems." Sam sits down next to Amistathya.

"I can live with it. I just wish I would not have to relive it each time."

"It should be less of a shock next time so you are likely to feel better. Eventually you should learn to look around and ignore it but that is going to take some time. Sam, I have to tell you now that I can only give you advice from this point on. I will be unable to offer to help with anything else."

"I am guessing that would be why you wanted me to help with Amistathya as you could not help her yourself."

"You should be amply rewarded eventually Sam."

"I was never implying you used me Sha'ira."

"I just wished to inform you Sam, nothing more. I will admit that I could not risk seeing the other side of the memory, hence why I can no longer help you. I would recommend you meeting Holana the receptionist I talked about at some time. I am sure she would appreciate being able to help someone on her own."

"Is she new and I am the test?" Sam starting to wonder if Sha'ira really was using him.

"If you really want to know we need to go somewhere private."

"Right." Sam gets up and starts walking to the basement door. "Amistathya, coming?" She gets up and joins Sam and Sha'ira in the basement.

"Everything I have said to Sam also applies to yourself Amistathya." She nods. "I must explain about Holana as she is a unique individual. She first flash melds to get an idea of someone's mental and physical tolerances before helping."

"Why would she need to do that?"

"She is very numb to life and only feels anything at the extremes. She needs to know where your limits are so she knows where to stop. Unfortunately the memory is only temporary. I asked her one day if we could have fun without melding first. There were an awful lot of upset people when we stripped and jumped off the bridge in to the presidium lake together. What most people do not know is she then would not let me surface for air until we had both been satisfied."

"I really did not need to know the details Sha'ira."

"It saves you having even more questions than answers as you seem to be struggling already Sam. Anyway afterwards Holana did seem quite a bit happier for a few days. Unfortunately most of that time was spent in a C-Sec cell. After that I had to agree not to give her clients and not meet her privately on my own."

"So you feel because she is numb then she will cope with Amistathya's memories."

"She will likely feel something but not enough to affect her Sam. If she is cold towards you then it is not because she does not like you, that is just her personality. Some people find her a little much as a receptionist but she is very efficient and really tries to be friendly."

"I was wondering how clients reacted to her as a receptionist."

"Most individuals only contact the greeter who can schedule appointments and arrange individuals to see a particular acolyte who can help them. Holana is more information processing and sometimes the greeter will defer individuals to her if their requests are about information not related to appointments."

"That is good to know. Could I ask if there is any downsides to this like melding is addictive?"

"It can feel as if you have been hit with something heavy if you are standing up. It may also cause you to forget random things for anywhere between a second and a couple of hours for a day or so."

"Could she not meld normally to get the information?"

"Yes but since she has no separated memory she has nowhere to store private information for each individual. The speed of the flash meld does not allow enough time for memories to join so she has nothing that needs storing."

"Ahh. Do you have any questions Amistathya?"

"No."

"I am fairly hungry after wasting most of my lunch down the toilet." Sha'ira followed Sam and Amistathya upstairs where they almost run into Adastra who was walking from the kitchen.

"Oh, I was told to try and find you, everyone is already eating in the dining room." The four of them walk in and take their seats.

"Where have you been or should I not ask?"

"Kate, Sha'ira was just explaining an incident involving the presidium lake." Fosanta sighs and shakes her head. Kate looks to her for an explanation.

"There was a news story about ninety years ago which said Sha'ira and an unnamed second individual, in the middle of the day, stripped on the presidium bridge and jumped into the lake together." Fosanta not wanting to speculate further when Sha'ira was in the room.

"There is always someone every few years who does the same thing. I am a little surprised that you did Sha'ira." Sha'ira says nothing nor makes a reaction but just continues eating. "You were not covering up for someone else were you? It was not the councillor was it?" Sha'ira could only smile at that notion. "Sam was it Sha'ira?"

"Adastra if Sha'ira is unwilling to answer then I cannot help. I think many people would actually pay to see the councillor jump off that bridge with nothing on. I highly doubt she would do it as she does not seem the risk taking type."

"Talima do you know?"

"Unfortunately that would have happened before I joined Sha'ira Kate. As Fosanta said the news article said that it was however I cannot confirm that as Sha'ira has never told me."

"So why do you know Sam and Talima does not?" Seliha putting on her curious hat as she had finished her food and had nothing else to do.

"Why I was told as much as I was, I do not know. I am not the one to ask Seliha." Sam having a little frustration in his voice given he was getting tired of knowing so much yet able to share so little.

"Seliha, Sam needed to know. I can confirm I have been in the presidium lake." Sam thought that was a typically vague response, it could have been a midnight dip last week for all anyone else around the table knew.

"I need an early night everyone as I am really tired. Amistathya you can stay down here if you wish."

"I will join you as I barely slept last night." Sam nods to Amistathya.

"Sam. If you cannot sleep and you need more company than Amistathya then you know where to find me." Sam nods, everyone else says night as the two of them leave.

"Do you like Sam Sha'ira?" Kate barely waiting for the two of them to leave before asking.

"Kate, I am unsure how he will sleep as some of the memories may creep through."

"That was not quite what I meant."

"Kate, I feel a little guilty for asking Sam to help Amistathya. I feel it was the right decision but that does not absolve me of responsibility for making it happen. Also melding with a torture victim is not a pleasant experience." Faces of disbelief surround Sha'ira, Seliha had a rough idea of this from previously but was expecting it being an accident.

"Amistathya has been tortured?" Fosanta voicing what was on Kate's mind.

"Yes Fosanta. Her skin was left barely thicker than tissue paper by some rather evil individuals. I still to this day do not know how she survived. The chemicals would have continued to burn into her skin for hours afterwards and she had lost quite a bit of blood." Silence descended upon the dining room.

"That does explain why she is distrusts others. It is still never nice to hear, especially when you know the individual." Talima not being too badly affected given she has heard similar stories many times.

"Is she not on the dangerous list Sha'ira?" Adastra thinking if she is then Amistathya should definitely be.

"Not yet. Galactic Acceptance do not know about her past and hence did not add her on to the list. I will however have to get them added to it on Monday."

"Will Sam be ok?" Kate a little worried about him.

"You eventually become numb to the memories Kate. I am trusting you all not to say anything about this to anyone." Everyone manages a nod. "I believe you gave yourself until this evening Kate, have you made your decision?"

"Err." Kate being caught out by not actually thinking about it. The silence shining the spotlight on her ever more brightly. "I have not really thought about it."

"Kate are you indecisive because you have time or are not sure about Fosanta. I would be wondering by now if you actually liked me if I had been the one asking." Kate was not sure quite how to take Adastra's comments. She did however have a point.

"Fosanta, would you like to join me to go to bed?" Kate did not give away anything. It was a little obvious from her question it was an acceptance however. Fosanta stands up with a small smile on her face as the two of them leave.

"I best be also thinking of sleeping as I may well be awakened early."

"I will wash the plates then also go as well. Have a good sleep." Sha'ira nods to Adastra. Talima and Sha'ira leave as Seliha and Adastra tidy and wash the plates before also heading upstairs.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate was already settling down in bed before Fosanta walked out of the bathroom after having a shower. "I am a bit nervous as I do not know what to do."

"Do what you feel is right and just trust me Kate." Fosanta waited for a nod before she jumped onto the bed pinning Kate underneath the sheets. "Surprise." Fosanta moves herself to be more lying on top of Kate, a broad smile on her face, before running her fingers through Kate's gingery red hair. Kate struggles a little under the taught sheets. "No Kate, even though I offered to meld you still have to earn it, until you do you are staying under the sheets."

"That is mean Fosanta." Kate somewhere between playing along and in disbelief. Fosanta moved her face closer to Kate's as she tenderly stroked her cheek.

"Your wonderful blue eyes are saying you like it Kate."

"Your brown eyes are so evenly coloured they remind me of chocolate Fosanta." Kate cautiously lifts her head from the pillow to go in for a cautious kiss. Fosanta visibly melts on to the top of Kate pushing her head back down onto the pillow, their lips still connected. Fosanta breaks off a few seconds later and opens her eyes. "Your lips are delightfully soft I..." Fosanta puts her finger on Kate's lips to keep her quiet as she moves off the top of her and climbs under the sheets. Fosanta goes back in for another kiss and as she does so puts her hand on Kate's waist. Kate flinches a little and Fosanta breaks off.

"I hope that reaction was not a complaint." Fosanta stating in a teasing manner as she moves her hand to between Kate's legs. "Your body seems to be liking the experience." Fosanta noting her hand getting moist as she gently rubs. Kate seems to gain a surge of confidence as her arousal grows, moving her hand to between Fosanta's legs, but instead of rubbing, pushing two fingers inside the waiting moist hole. Fosanta lets out a small gasp at the slightly unexpected, yet wholly appreciated intrusion. "Embrace eternity." Fosanta's eyes go black as she returns the favour, pushing two of her fingers inside Kate. The two of them begin to slide their fingers in and out, riding the pleasure of their own and each others sensations. The lust for more becoming ever greater until the pair orgasm simultaneously. The plateau where nothing, not even time seems to matter extended far longer than either of them thought possible. Fosanta breaks the meld once she has come down enough to think properly. The two of them lying on the bed, slightly sweaty, slightly breathless, completely relaxed with large smiles on their faces.

"I do not think I could ask for anyone better than you Fosanta. That was indescribable." Kate pulling her hand from under the covers to look at the mess coating her fingers. The urge to lick overtook her, the slightly sweet taste becoming ever more delectable. "You taste wonderful." Fosanta joins Kate in cleaning her own fingers of juices.

"As do you my sweet one. I get the feeling I may be unable to stop you next time." Kate getting an evil grin on her face at Fosanta's observation. Kate suddenly getting a burning question.

"How did you know I would be turned on when you had me pinned to the bed?" Kate turning to lay on her back, noting her brain feels like water yet weirdly liking it.

"I guessed from the fact you seemed to want to keep me at arms length. I was really surprised at you pushing two fingers into me. I was expecting you to do the same as me, it was as if you just broke and went nuts." Fosanta stating in a joking manner, the grin still plastered on her face.

"I did just break, you broke my logic with desire. I literally do not care now if the universe explodes tomorrow as I have experienced the best thing ever." Fosanta shuffles closer and gives Kate a passionate kiss. Kate responding instinctively, pulling her in closer. A couple of minutes later Fosanta breaks off. "You are a wonderful individual Kate. I think I need some more experience before I can decide though." A seductive tone to her voice.

"So I can experience that again another day?" Kate almost begging in a child like manner for another go, even if it was implied.

"As long as you apologise to Sam for ever doubting him." Kate nodded sending another boost of pleasure floating into her body. "Then I might let you experience that again." Fosanta laughed at herself a little.

"You are such a tease Fosanta." The two of them laugh. "I am too comfortable here to shower even though I could do with one as my legs feel a little damp." Fosanta nods and gets comfortable in the bed, not caring she is laying in a damp patch. Kate doing the same and the two settle down to sleep, a warm glow on each of their faces.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**Certainly a bit more action in this chapter than there has been of late. Next chapter is a bit of another setup chapter but it is a worthy one. It can be viewed here from the 9th of June. Thank you to everyone who is still reading this week after week and to anyone who is new and just joining.**


	32. Chapter 32 : Recovery

**Chapter - Recovery**

* * *

><p><strong>Sunday 29th January<strong>

Sam sits up in bed, the image that had been tormenting him the last few minutes, gone. This was the ninth time in five hours and the strain was starting to get to him. Sam felt someone put their hand on his forearm. "It is like it is playing games with me. As soon as I awaken I cannot remember anything."

"I wish there was something I could do but there is not." Amistathya sounding tired and a little upset.

"Actually there is, would you mind melding with me for a couple of seconds. I am going to pull a few images out of the recessed memory so I do not feel as if I am going insane." Sam talking to the blackness of the room but knowing Amistathya is right there.

"You mean you are going to provide the brain with something easier to get to so it will avoid the worst memories?"

"That is my plan. It is worth a try at least as I am not exactly getting much sleep at the moment." Sam lays back down on the bed.

"Say when you are ready."

"Ok Amistathya."

"Embrace eternity." Sam feels the start of the meld then the wave of memories. He could not distinguish if Amistathya had finished the meld or not. Pushing through the remembered pain, the flashing images and the emotions he moves to the recessed memory space finding it is open, so Amistathya must have broken the meld. Quickly scanning through he selects a large number of images which illicit a strong but not overwhelming response before putting them on a normal shelf nearby. All that was left was to wait the eighteen minutes. Sam leaned over and pulled Amistathya into an embrace.

Amistathya was happy she might be able to help. She was also impressed at Sam never letting his hands wander over her body even though she was naked and was well within his right to. The minutes seemed to pass quicker with the two of them being close together. Sam opened his eyes to see an outline of an Asari lying on the pillow next to him. "Thank you Amistathya." Sam lets Amistathya shuffle back across the bed a little.

"It should be me who is thanking you Sam."

"Why is that?" Sam a little puzzled given he had woken her several times this evening.

"I was impressed with you seeming to take a little more care given I have nothing on. I was also impressed at your ability to keep your hands to yourself even when you had the right to wander."

"I do not know what you are comfortable with Amistathya."

"Could I suggest keeping it like this until you can tolerate melding with me. Then we can start experimenting."

"You do know I should punish you for saying that. Having said that it is a good idea and I do want some sleep so I will let you off tis time."

"Thank you." Amistathya shuffling back to her own side and putting her head down. Sam does the same and the pair of them are asleep again within a couple of minutes.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Good morning you two, did you sleep well?" Sha'ira walking into the kitchen Talima following behind giving Sam and Amistathya a nod and a smile.

"The first half of the night was unpleasant given the unrememberable nightmares. Amistathya was very helpful in getting me slightly more stable sleep in the second half but it was not brilliant. I have however felt worse than this in a morning before."

"Amistathya have you ever had a bondmate before?"

"No, why?" Sha'ira smiles.

"Burning someone so badly yet gently takes a certain kind of individual. I would recommend you breaking the servitude contract early Sam so Amistathya can express herself fully."

"I will bear that in mind." Kate and Fosanta walk in, each having an arm around the other. "You two look much more comfortable around each other." Sam not giving away he had an idea what happened.

"I must apologise for doubting you Sam. It really was a great experience."

"So you got over your trepidation about having fun with an alien of your own gender then?"

"I could not resist the teasing."

"Were you mean Fosanta?" Sam trying to quell his curiosity.

"No I made Kate work for the meld by giving her a bit of motivation to do so Sam. I must say it worked much better than I expected, next time it will be harder to get what you want Kate." Kate gives a bit of a fake frown before smiling.

"I am glad you two had fun. I am still trying to work out a way of getting used to melding with the sky blue one which will not get me badly addicted."

"I think Kate already is, she was practically begging for another go last night." Kate gives Fosanta a bit of a playful nudge as she blushes slightly.

"I believe you were both warned about that effect. Sam could I discuss something with you." Sam nods. "Amistathya you can come along as well." Amistathya follows the two of them out of the room to the basement for a bit of privacy.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Sam there is a way of getting you comfortable enough to meld. I believe you moved some memories out of your recessed memory last night." Sam nods. "Holana could flash meld opening the recessed memory space, there is no addiction to it but as I said it has side effects."

"I am not sure how Armali will take to me having yet more time away from work Sha'ira. I have only worked one day there up to now. Also I need to talk to Usarta about the thrusters for the event."

"There are times when it is best to be a little selfish Sam. I am sure the bulk of the work you were to do this week could be done from a console."

"You are probably right as it is likely to get busier leading up to the event, best get it out of the way now." Sam opens up his Omni-tool and creates a message.

_Usarta_

_It seems I will not be starting back tomorrow as I previously thought. The individual who I was meeting has given me a unique problem which could do with being solved sooner rather than later. I also need to speak to you about thrusters. That may seem odd but I cannot say much yet with messages. I would be entirely grateful if we could meet sometime today._

_Sam._

"Now the question, if we leave where we will stay as Lianta and Hymara will have to come with us." Sha'ira contemplates for a second.

"Let me sort that out for you when we arrive." Sam nods as he gets a message.

_Sam_

_I was just about to go into Nos Astra, I will stop by on the way in. I should be about thirty minutes._

_Usarta._

"Thirty minutes to have breakfast before Usarta arrives. I would appreciate it if you could also meet with her Sha'ira as I sometimes find it a bit difficult to explain what is happening."

"Of course Sam." Sam nods and the three of hem head back into the kitchen arriving as Adastra and Seliha walk in the other door for breakfast.

"Usarta will be appearing in about thirty minutes." Sam stating as a matter of fact.

"Why can this not wait until tomorrow?" Adastra talking as she raids the cupboards.

"I might have better things to do tomorrow Adastra."

"I see you had a bad night."

"It was not the best night ever Adastra."

"You two looked like you had a good night." Adastra leaving Sam alone as he clearly is not wanting to talk.

"Yes we did Adastra." A smile on each of their faces answering Adastra's next question so she sees it pointless to ask.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Morning Usarta. I am actually glad you could meet me so quickly." Sam gestures her inside to the seating area where Amistathya and Sha'ira are waiting.

"As I said Sam I was practically passing anyway. I was a little curious as well as you were not exactly forthcoming with information."

"It is a bit complicated. I am sure you know Sha'ira and the shy one is Amistathya. She was the individual who I was meeting on Thessia last week."

"It is good to meet you both." Usarta sits down after an exchange of nods on the seats opposite Sha'ira and Amistathya. Sam sits down in the middle of the two of them. "I will start with your last point first as I think that is going to be simpler."

"We will see. Anyway, I have been given the use of Sentix Spaceworks Hanger four for a charity event in support of Galactic Acceptance. As you will probably know that hanger is a ridiculous size."

"How did you manage to get hold of it?"

"That is unimportant at the moment, anyway to get sound into something that big requires something with a large amount of air movement and I thought a plasma thruster, or several, would do the job nicely."

"If you can make them work like that then I can see no issues up to now."

"I was hoping Armali would offer the use a few. I am not exactly sure what is standard size and what is not. Please do not be too shocked if these are weird as they were rough calculations." Usarta nods. "I was thinking eight twelve metre bore thrusters to begin with which would be adequate but not ideal."

"The largest standard size we have is a twelve so that does not sound too inconvenient. I sense an addition though."

"The hall is ridiculously sized and also would have gas flow problems from hanger five. The eight thrusters would need to be modified to use a water feed instead of a gas feed."

"You mean split the water in the thruster?" Usarta seemingly contemplating that idea through her shock.

"Yes."

"If you can make it work then that could be interesting concept."

"I had a bit of a novel idea last night while I was unable to sleep. Could I ask what the largest thruster you could produce would be?"

"Largest? Our processes limit us to a twenty metre bore and a twenty five metre casing diameter. We can but have not built any that were larger. We would need to outsource lots of the manufacturing which pushes up costs and makes it extremely expensive."

"Would it be at all possible to obtain two twenty metre designs?"

"Could I ask in what way this is beneficial for Armali as special designs such as those are rather expensive?"

"You get advertisement. You can sell the thrusters on afterwards, think of it as thorough testing, and it is for charity."

"I suppose it would be a good showcase for how responsive our thrusters are. Also I like the sound of the integrated water feed. Ok I will agree. For the twenty metre design you will have to make the design yourself as our largest design on file is a fifteen metre diameter design."

"I am sure myself and Adastra can manage that. Thank you for your support, I guessed the event could hold over a hundred and twenty five thousand people and possibly quite a few more so that is quite a bit of advertising there."

"Interesting. If you could provide me some more information when some more planning has been done we might be able to help a bit more." Sam nods starting to feel the strain of staying polite and thinking on his feet. "On to the second point, first point, my apologies. What is this problem which needs solving?"

"As you know I was asked last week if I would go and meet Amistathya on Thessia. She did not trust anyone and it was really difficult at first to talk to her. I decided when I was not really getting anywhere to push her a little which gave me the first break. She began to trust me even if it was very tentative at first. I start to get lost around here, Sha'ira?"

"Amistathya seemed to grow a liking to Sam, quite a bit faster than even I expected. You could say Amistathya is on the dangerous list, which became a problem when she expressed an interest in getting to know Sam better."

"What makes her dangerous?"

"She has a dark past Usarta. Sam has very little choice now other than to learn to live with that."

"Why did you agree Sam?" Usarta wondering if Sam is a bit mad.

"I felt it was the right thing to do and I quite like her to be truthful. I have however made the decision and I now have to make the most of my choice. I would greatly appreciate a week to try and get used to the memories. I will do some work remotely to get the thruster design done quickly."

"Amistathya, I apologise for asking but I need to know how bad this is. When Sha'ira says dark, how bad?" Amistathya shuffles closer to Sam and puts her arms around him.

"I know she would rather I said nothing. If I said that it took two years for her skin to fully heal would that be enough?"

"What caused the damage?"

"Sorry Amistathya but she wishes to know." She nods, a slightly saddened expression on her face. "I am not going to say specifics but deliberately inflicted chemical burns were the cause." Usarta goes a little pale.

"You did wish to know Usarta. I hope you can understand quite why I said they will both be added to the dangerous list."

"I think I have a better idea Sha'ira. I am sure something like this will take longer than a week to get over Sam, but if that is all you wish to have for now then that is ok with me."

"Thank you. I am sure it will take weeks to get over it fully, but I have an event that needs planning and work may be a good distraction."

"I understand, I apologise Amistathya. I wished to understand and now I am wondering if I should have asked. I will see you next Monday then Sam." Sam nods as Usarta gets up and leaves.

"Amistathya, Usarta is a kind soul but is a typical manager, wanting to know everything and give away as little as possible. I hope you understand why I had to say."

"I do."

"I think it would be best if we had a talk to the others to tell them where we are going. I am sure you will have plenty of time next week to hug me." Amistathya lets Sam go, the three of them standing up and heading to the kitchen.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I find it so amusing when someone comes to talk to you Sam it always takes a long time."

"The joke of sex is finished Kate given I will be on the dangerous list. I have however got a rough agreement for ten plasma thrusters to use as sound for the event."

"Ten? I thought you said eight Sam?"

"I did but I was thinking in a room that size bass is going to drop off as if it was an object approaching a neutron star. I therefore have been given the go ahead to design two twenty metre bore plasma thrusters." Adastra seemed a little surprised.

"Do you have an idea how much power you need for one of those?"

"We will be fine as we have practically the whole of hanger five for power if we need it." Adastra does not look too convinced. "Anyway I need to announce I am leaving to spend five or six nights on the Citadel."

"Why Sam?"

"I need some help that I cannot get here. I hope you all understand I am just wanting to get back to feeling fairly normal as quickly as possible."

"I think we all understand that Sam." Sam nods to Fosanta. "When are you leaving?" Sam looks to Sha'ira.

"As soon as everyone is ready to leave Fosanta." Sam and Amistathya vacate the kitchen to start packing.

"Is he going to be ok?"

"He has many questions and answers which do not match Adastra. He will be happier once he finds the source of the confusion, you will have the same problem soon." Adastra looks confused but nods.

Sam and Amistathya do not take long to pack given some of their stuff is still packed from when they came back from Thessia. The four who are to leave meet at the bottom of the stairs. "Can everyone try and be good while I am away this time. I am looking more at you Seliha, I know it is not your fault but still if you could try your best."

"I will Sam."

"I will see you all in a few days." Sam stating before the four of them begin to walk out of the front door towards the waiting shuttle. Lianta and Hymara join them in jumping on-board before closing the door and taking off to head to Nos Astra space port.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

It was not too long before they had loaded themselves and their luggage on to the private passenger transport. Talima went to pilot leaving Sam, Amistathya, Lianta, Hymara and Sha'ira to sit in small seating area opposite and just aft of the airlock.

It was only a few minutes before Sam felt the ship jolt into FTL travel.

"I am confused as to why you are going to the Citadel Sam?" Lianta speaking to break up the silence, her brain evidently trying to work out what is happening.

"I am already sick of this discussion but I will go through it again since you have both been left in the dark." The two of them nod. "I am not sure how much you really know about Amistathya."

"Not to touch her and she is scared of people who can manipulate biotic fields. I think that is it Sam."

"Sorry I thought you knew a bit more. It has seemed like a very long twenty odd hours." Sam takes a breath. "Amistathya has had a rather eventful past, one which after we melded yesterday I wish I knew less about. Ignorance really is bliss. The Citadel trip is to try and help me live with what I know."

"Can you not remove the memories?" Lianta looks to Sha'ira who in turn looks to Sam.

"No as I doubt anyone would wish to meld with me." Hymara seems confused.

"Why Sam?" Sam just sighs and looks to Amistathya.

"You must promise not to tell anyone as I really despise saying this." The two of them nod. "Technically she would be classed as dangerous. I knew this beforehand and it was a mutual agreement, neither of us was forced."

"You said you had melded with Adastra who was on the dangerous list. What is new this time?"

"This was a full meld and Adastra was technically not a dangerous person, just misunderstood." The two commandos look confused Sha'ira decides to put an end to their guessing.

"Amistathya, as Sam has stated, has had an eventful past. The important one was essentially torture and she barely survived." The two of them look shocked.

"Why did you agree to meld Sam?" Hymara not understanding the logic.

"I do not know, each time I remember back there is nothing that makes sense. All I know is it felt right." Sam puts his arm around Amistathya. "Amistathya would you be willing to show Lianta and Hymara what is under your gloves. I am not going to force you and I am sure the contract is not applicable either. It is entirely up to you." Amistathya looks at her hands and then the two commandos who seem puzzled and in shock.

"I hope you are right." Sam nods hoping he is also right that the two commandos will not make any negative comments. Amistathya pulls off her left glove first before her right.

"I am shocked that you could keep something like that hidden. While I may not appreciate art as others do your hands look good." Hymara impressed yet not overenthusiastic.

"Your hands could entrance many individuals with their subtle, yet surprisingly striking markings." Amistathya gives both of them a weak smile before putting her gloves back on. "I think I have worked out what happened. I think Sam has a soft spot for markings given his friendliness to Adastra."

"I have a soft spot for Amistathya Lianta. The excellent markings are an extremely delightful addition to a shy and yet endearing character." Sam gaining a touch of happiness whilst talking his mind on why he likes Amistathya. "Is this the same shuttle we came back from Thessia in Sha'ira?"

"Yes it is Sam."

"Two bedrooms for six, while I would usually suggest three in a bed I can see a problem."

"We will arrive at the Citadel late evening Sam." Sha'ira making Sam feel a little foolish for loosing track of time.

"Sorry, I thought it was mid afternoon. Now I feel silly."

"Perhaps you should take one of the rooms and see if you can get some sleep Sam. You do not look quite yourself this morning."

"Since there is not much else to do then that sounds like an idea Lianta." Sam takes his arm from around Amistathya and heads to the left hand bedroom. Amistathya seems a little lost without Sam which is evident in her body language.

"Are you worried Amistathya as you look a little on edge?" Sha'ira wondering if she can reassure her.

"I feel uncomfortable being alone in an enclosed space with people who I am not sure I can trust." Amistathya just managing to get out what she is feeling.

"The shuttle trip will be uneventful you have no need to feel uncomfortable." Lianta wondering if it was the fact there is two commandos sitting nearby. Amistathya does not respond, just sitting there gazing at the floor.

"We should hit the relay out of the system in just under an hour mistress." Sha'ira nods with a smile at Talima who takes a seat next to Hymara instead of one of the two between Amistathya and Sha'ira.

"Amistathya do you mind if we had a talk alone?" Sha'ira wanting to see if she can quiet her confusion. Amistathya seemed reluctant but eventually stands up. The two of them going into the other bedroom and locking the door.

"Amistathya, I must congratulate you on your ability to confuse me. I have been looking at a smokescreen since we left Thessia and the fog still seemingly lingers. Why did you wish to subject yourself to an uncomfortable situation rather than join Sam?"

"I was not asked to."

"You are the owner of yourself Amistathya. You obviously have a sharp mind given your ability to manipulate Sam but you need to take control of yourself."

"How did you know?" Amistathya sounding a little shocked as if she had been trying her hardest to keep it hidden.

"It is obvious that you have grown on him, but the only way anyone can trust someone so quickly is if they can control them sufficiently. You must resist doing this and control yourself instead. You may be surprised at the outcome when you do so."

"How?"

"As I said I cannot see all I would like. I do know Sam would appreciate you being more forward with what you would like."

"I am not confident in doing that."

"Amistathya, the worst that could happen is he says no. Do what you want to do and see what happens."

"I will try." Sha'ira nods still not quite sure what will happen but decides to let it play itself out. The two of them get up from the bed.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Is it Am-i or Aim-i Talima as I would hate to get someone's name incorrect. Sam has occasionally been inconsistent."

"Aymi-sta-theia Lianta. I think Sam finds it difficult because of his native language."

"I think this is only the second individual I have been worried about saying their name wrong. I find it a bit strange as it does not seem to fit any sort of conventional naming."

"It is a rather nice name Hymara, I am sure you will get used to it." The two commandos look puzzled. "I like the name personally even if it is a bit of a handful to pronounce." The two commandos do not have time to make any commenting before Sha'ira and Amistathya reappear.

The four of them sit discussing various Citadel related topics while waiting for the ship to get to the Citadel. Amistathya keeping to herself in the corner.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The shuttle docks on the citadel late evening after having to wait half an hour for a berth to become available. Talima walks out of the cockpit after locking the drive controls. "Talima. Would you wait here while I try and find a room for everyone?"

"Of course Mistress." Talima sits down on the seating as Sha'ira exits the ship through the airlock.

"There is always waiting around involved."

"I am sure Sha'ira will not be long Sam."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sha'ira came back to the ship forty minutes later. "Talima, you are free to leave, sleep well."

"You too Mistress." Talima nods before leaving. Once she had left Sha'ira sent a short message on her Omni-tool.

"I found that the Whefon hotel had a particularly suitable apartment available for you. It is on Tayseri ward not far from the botanical gardens."

"By particularly suitable you mean?"

"Two bedrooms, living area, kitchen, a small office and bathroom all in one contained unit. The rooms have decent sound insulation as well." Sha'ira giving a small smile to Sam and Amistathya before the airlock door opened and an unknown Asari enters.

"You requested me to be here Mistress?" Sha'ira nods.

"Everyone this is Holana. She will take you to the hotel and have a talk with Sam and Amistathya. If anyone has any problems while they are on the Citadel I am sure you know where to find me. I hope you all have a pleasant stay." Everyone gives Sha'ira a nod before she leaves.

"Which of you is Lianta?" Holana down to business, her voice sounding slightly sharp but she had a smile on her face.

"I am Holana. This is Hymara and I am sure you can guess Amistathya and Sam."

"Yes, Thank you Lianta. If you would all follow me." The four of them stand and join Holana in the airlock. They made their way to the shuttle station and climbed onboard a shuttle which was going to the Gaeron botanical gardens.

"I did not quite know what to expect given I have never been here before." Amistathya looking out of the window at the view of buildings towering high from the giant arm of the Citadel. The purple gas cloud outlining each of them.

"You have never been to the Citadel before?" Lianta a little surprised.

"Unfortunately no. I have spent my life on either Thessia or Illium."

"I am not going to be a great tour guide given last time I was here I was mostly stuck on-board the Enlighten." Amistathya seemed to wrack her brain to remember that it was the Enlighten that picked up Sam.

"You know more than I do Sam." Sam concedes that point as the shuttle approaches there departure station.

The five of them get off and take the fifteen minute walk fairly leisurely. There were quite a few people milling around given the time of day, but given there is no set night time that is to be expected. Amistathya was seemingly not liking the reaction two commandos and a human were getting from a few people. She calmed a little once they got into the hotel lobby, which was surprisingly quiet, just two Asari waiting for the lift and the receptionist behind the desk.

"If you would wait here I will sort out room keys." Everyone gives Holana a nod before she walks over to reception.

"That walk with people stopping and watching us has made me anxious."

"I think they were looking at Sam, Hymara and myself more Amistathya. I am starting to wonder if we will have a problem with reporters." Lianta using her name with ease after taking several hours to think about it.

"I really hope not." Sam turning to see Holana on her way back across the lobby.

"Room 401, fourth floor first room." Everyone follows Holana who has the keys with her into the lift. Sam gets board after the lift travels past the second floor and starts humming cheesy lift music.

"I know you are not a fan of lifts Sam. I am sure you can take the stairs next time if you wish."

"It would probably be faster Hymara, and good exercise." Hymara says nothing as the lift stops at floor four and the doors open onto a well lit corridor. The door to room 401 on the end of the corridor only a few paces to their right. Holana opens the door and gestures them to enter.

They walk into a hallway with a door to their left and right. The left to a moderate sized office, the right to a large bathroom. The end of the hallway leads into a large open plan, kitchen, dining and living space. "I am going to guess the doors at either side are to the bedrooms." Sam walks to the door on his right and peers in. "Who is in which one?"

"That one Sam." Amistathya wandering over to join him. Hymara looks at Lianta and the two of them head to the left room. Holana follows the two commandos.

"My apologies, I will leave your key for the room here." Holana puts the key on the table just inside the door before leaving to see Sam and Amistathya in the other room.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Amistathya sits on the side of the bed sinking into the soft surface. "Well the bed is soft enough at least."

"I would have expected no less from Sha'ira." Sam flops on the other side of the bed as Holana walks in before locking the door behind her.

"Has Sha'ira explained everything to both of you?"

"She has told us about you not feeling much, you taking a midday dip in the presidium lake with her, flash melding and the fact you should not be helping us as you theoretically should not have clients. She did not say however what was going to happen though."

"Do you know anything more Amistathya?"

"No, which is worrying me slightly." Holana sits down on the chair next to the window.

"I am sure Sha'ira mentioned how flash melding could help and its side effects." Sam nods. "Ok, the plan is to flash meld you both then connect to you Sam to sort the memories into four blocks, the first of which I will move out today."

"I can see me having a headache afterwards." Sam remembering that when someone else does the work it causes headaches.

"It actually depends on what is moved Sam. I am however only here to help for the long term so a bit of a headache for a hour or two is irrelevant. I am however fully expecting you to hate if not resist me by Wednesday."

"Hold on, this makes very little sense. The flash meld is to know the limits though so why would I hate or resist you?"

"I am using Amistathya's limits, not your limits Sam. I am only flash melding with you to open the recessed memory."

"Could I ask why?" Sam feeling a little worried now.

"If you are not uncomfortable then it is not going to make a difference Sam. Amistathya I would like to connect with you at some time, it does not need to be today." Amistathya nods, seemingly less worried than Sam. "Sam, you look apprehensive. Could you explain why?"

"The fact you seem to want to break me is a little unnerving. I was also thinking of trying to have a bit of time with Amistathya while I am here as I doubt when I get back to Illium I will have much spare time."

"I would recommend you doing any sight seeing tomorrow Sam as you may become overly confused and disorientated after that. I have been requested to make Thursday night and Friday as comfortable as possible without moving the memories back. I will endeavour to do this, however I cannot make any promises on the amount of improvement. It should be enough given you will probably be exhausted enough to get a half decent nights sleep."

"It seems I am just going to have to go with it as it is not like I have much choice."

"I will give you a minute or two after flash melding for you to recover before connecting Sam. Amistathya do you wish to connect tonight or another day. It would probably be better tonight as some people hate me being a bit cold."

"Tonight and get it out of the way."

"Ok, I will go Sam, Amistathya, Amistathya, Sam given I think Sam will take longer to recover from the flash meld given his inexperience." The two of them nod. "Amistathya if you could lay down like Sam it makes the shock a bit less strange." Amistathya does so. Holana stands next to the bed near Sam. "Try to relax." Her eyes changing from brown to black and back as fast as a blink. Sam didn't feel much in the way of pain but he was massively disorientated as if the room had been rapidly spun. Holana moves around the bed to the other side. "Amistathya if you could try to relax, after the meld if you could give me a nod when you have recovered sufficiently I would appreciate it."

"Ok Holana." Holana quickly melds again, Amistathya seemed relatively unscathed as it was barely a minute before she gave the nod.

"Amistathya, Embrace eternity."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Holana walks through the door just about getting it open wide enough to get into given the mountain of data disks trying to hold it closed. "My apologies Holana, I am a little embarrassed by the mess. I used to keep it fairly tidy but after the incident I found that muddling through allowed me to cope better."

"It is an interesting idea, the problem being is do you know where to find everything?"

"Over time I have gradually worked out where everything is. I was tempted to put the disks back into the racks but I have always thought I might find it too confusing and not be able to find anything."

"Amistathya, It would be best if you made a start in gradually tidying this mess up. It would probably help Sam as well as he can then try and focus on a particular section where he knows there are no bad memories."

"You have a point. Could I ask why you even wished to connect with me?"

"I need some evidence to prove I was not meeting Sam alone. I will leave you alone Amistathya." Amistathya nods and Holana leaves through the half open door.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Amistathya opens her eyes and looks around to find Holana already at the other side of the bed. "Sam, can you concentrate enough yet? I need time to do this and there is not long left." As Sam's confusion had subsided the memories from the recessed memory had returned with a vengeance which was making life difficult.

"I will try." All he can manage while trying to hold back the flood.

"Relax and reach out, finding the link between us. Embrace eternity."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Everywhere Sam looked all he could see were images on posters plastered everywhere, renewing the memories he experienced yesterday. Holana walking in through the mahogany doors she barely had time to nod to Sam before working her way down the first isle. Sam goes back to watching the fire, looking at it and it seemingly looking back as if it was about to leap out and set him on fire. It is barely a couple of minutes before Holana reappears. "It seems you are stronger than I thought Sam. It seems I can increase the difficulty a little more gently than I first anticipated. I would like to keep you in the dark as to what I have moved and what I plan to do."

"I am sure I will know shortly."

"You will, it just may not be where you expect it to be. I will be back tomorrow."

"I will see you then." Holana nods and exits.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I will speak to you both tomorrow evening at about the same time. I hope you both sleep well."

"I will." Amistathya answering, Sam just giving a nod, his gloomy face trying to hide what he can see at the moment. Holana nods and exits the apartment after saying goodbye to Hymara and Lianta who were on the sofa in the living area. It is only a couple of minutes before Sam seems a little more responsive. "How are you feeling Sam?"

"Very confused as I can feel the memories burning into the back of my head but I cannot see them. I am sure I will be ok. How are you?"

"I feel fine but I am sure the side effects will become obvious."

"I am sure if we stick together then we can correct each other when we forget." Amistathya nods. "Could I ask why Holana wanted to connect with you?"

"She did give me some advice to tidy up the mess of memories in my mind. I also feel she was getting some information for Sha'ira. Quite what in the mess I do not know."

"I always felt she knew everything reasonably well."

"She congratulated me on confusing her on the ship here. She also made another suggestion which I am not all that comfortable with." Amistathya seeming to go a little meek towards the end.

"Could I ask what or is it private?"

"She suggested I should try and be more forward with you about what I want."

"Amistathya, It is a good piece of advice. I would actually be very interested in at least knowing what you would like. All I know is you seem to like being treated softly and you have a bit of a dark streak." Sam turns his head to look at a slightly flustered Amistathya. "It is ok I will not tell anyone. I know from the fact you have been playing me ever since I was mean with you back on Thessia. Of course I cannot admit that to anyone else as they would think I am insane."

"I do apologise for that Sam. I needed to know if I could trust you and how much you would trust me. I hope you understand."

"Of course I do, and I appreciate the effort. I was going to suggest voluntarily swapping the contract around while we are here but I can see that descending into war very quickly. I really do not want that happening again after what happened in our first few days on Illium. I would however be happy to agree to you going nuts but me still retaining the right to refuse if it is ridiculous."

"You mean you will let me choose what to do?"

"Yes and I will try not to say no to anything. I hope that is reasonable?"

"I think that is fair."

"I could do with a drink, sending a message back to Illium, then shower and bed." Sam sitting up on the bed before getting up. "Are you going to lay there all evening?" Amistathya gets up off the bed and walks behind Sam. Just before he gets to the door Amistathya wraps her arms around Sam.

"The bathroom looked big enough for two." Sam got the hint but decided to have some fun.

"If you packed people in I would say about forty people, not just two." Sam keeping a deadly serious tone to sell the act.

"Four did you say Sam?" Amistathya letting go and walking around him casting him a slight 'I know what you are doing and I will win' smile. Sam gently catches Amistathya's arm before she leaves the room.

"I was joking to see if you would actually ask me, instead of insinuating Amistathya."

"I thought you knew I am a bit shy Sam. I would feel too embarrassed to ask Hymara and Lianta and I would rather be a bit of a tease than bluntly ask you." Sam feels a little shamed and played.

"I understand, yes I will join you in the shower. I need to send a message and get a drink first." Amistathya nods before leaving the room, closely followed by Sam. Sam gets a glass and fills it from the tap. "Do either of you two sofa dwellers think journalists may be a problem? I am thinking more for Amistathya than myself."

"Possibly, rumours may start to spread that you two are together. They might push for an interview if their curiosity gets too much. Please do not say anything to them and everything will be ok." Hymara giving her opinion.

"I will not... Amistathya I think I have spotted my first lapse. I apologise but I cannot remember either of your names."

"Why not Sam?" Lianta wondering if he is doing it on purpose.

"It is ok, I will remember shortly. You may or may not notice us both forgetting random things for a while." Sam taking a seat at the table with Amistathya. He opens his Omni-tool and creates a new message.

_Fosanta,_

_I hope you do not mind me messaging you for everyone, you are more trustworthy than the others. I arrived a couple of hours ago and we have a nice apartment room in the hotel. I have no idea what we will be doing this week as it is up to the sky blue one. Yes she is choosing what happens, I am a little worried about showering together later._

_I hope everything is ok on Illium and the two wild children are behaving._

_Sam._

"I cannot be bothered sending any more, one to Fosanta should be enough." Sam seems to have a think for a couple of seconds. "Amistathya you are really annoying sometimes, now you have me thinking about four."

"Sam I was not being serious."

"You have started the thought, now it will keep going until it reaches some sort of conclusion."

"What are you two talking about?" Hymara curious.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Actually I would not mind knowing as there is not much else to do." Hymara really making it difficult for Sam to get out of it.

"Amistathya made a passing remark which she later admitted she would never do. It was for you two to join us for a shower. I cannot get rid of the idea now." Lianta looks to Hymara who shrugs.

"I think both of us would not have a problem with that notion if you ever wished to offer it."

"Why do I get the feeling you would be settling your curiosity more?"

"I have seen an Asari who had large tattoos covering her arms, legs and back, personally I found the concept idiotic. You are different Amistathya in that you both had no choice and your markings on your hands have a pleasant soft edge which tattoos tend not to have. Yes I am curious as to how extensive your markings are. I am also curious as to what Sam looks like."

"Lianta, you will be surprised." Sam wondered quite what Amistathya meant by that.

"Amistathya actually does not have a large amount of markings, well compared with Adastra anyway. I would spoil the surprise but that is mean. Anyway it is up to Amistathya if she feels ready in the future to say yes." Sam getting a message on his Omni-tool.

_Sam,_

_Everyone is fine here on Illium but it is still strange you not being here. We have had no problems with Seliha and Adastra is still having an odd joke. I had to turn down Kate for a shared shower tonight as she seems too eager. I need to temper her addiction slightly as she is a little keen. Just treat her as you would in bed Sam and I think you will be fine._

_I hope you have a good week._

_Fosanta._

"It seems as if Adastra and Seliha are behaving which is good. Kate is going to be a little disappointed not getting to shower with Fosanta."

"When are those two actually going to move forward from just sleeping together?"

"You mean meld Hymara?" She nods looking at Sam with confusion. "Yes I know I remembered your name. They melded yesterday and Kate seems to be addicted already. Fosanta is trying to kerb her enthusiasm a little."

"I am sure you have been told it is addictive?"

"We all know that Lianta and Sha'ira made it clear to Kate and Sam. I hope you understand that I would prefer if it was just myself and Sam for a while."

"I understand Amistathya. We will go in after you have finished." Sam and Amistathya nod to Lianta before getting up from the table and walking towards the bathroom. Hymara waits a minute or so before speaking up.

"I think that was a little strange."

"Are you saying you have a problem with it?"

"No Lianta. I have in my time had to follow various individuals into the bathroom. I think it would be the first time I would actually have showered with the person I am meant to be protecting if it happens."

"I have done it once before. She said as long as I kept my hands to myself then she had no problem with it. It was convenient to shower at the same time because of appointments and other commitments so we did."

"Were you ever tempted to touch?"

"No as it was the Asari with tattoos I was talking about. While the design did compliment the markings on her face and folds, it just felt wrong in some odd way. I felt a little sorry for her though as it was people who thought like that who I was protecting her from."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam entered the bathroom first, Amistathya close behind locking the door as she enters. "I am going to be honest and say now I am a little nervous."

"I am as well Sam."

"To be honest I would quite like to know what you are comfortable with." Sam removing his clothing and putting then on the glass worktop near the sink. Amistathya doing the same.

"I would quite like it if you could help wash the back of my head as it is quite difficult for me to clean the crease between my head and my folds."

"I was sort of wondering how you managed with them to be honest."

"Well it is quite easy if you have a wash cloth but I hate using them as they are a bit scratchy. Also they were a little less thorough while burning there so the sensitivity is rather strange." Sam walks to the shower and turns it on.

"I can comprehend the issue but not really understand it."

"I will try and show you one day but it may be a while away."

"I would appreciate that." Sam looks around while waiting for the shower to deliver warm water. "I really like wet rooms but the floor gets wet which makes drying your feet afterwards a pain."

"Well they are certainly better if you wish to share a shower given there tends to be more space to move around." Amistathya walks over after grabbing her shower gel.

"I am not sure how you are going to take this but I love the faint brushed finish of your skin. I have only just noticed given the bright light in here."

"Thank you. While I hated it at first because it reminded me... I have however grown to like it. This is the first time you have seen me close with good light Sam, hence why I was nervous. I do not blame you for not noticing earlier." Sam leans forward and pulls Amistathya into the shower. "Hey."

"I thought you needed a hand." Amistathya gives Sam a friendly push with a smile. "What?" Sam shrugging before piling the shower gel on his head.

"I am capable of walking into a shower Sam." Sam busy lathering his hair into a white foamy mass, a slight smile on his face.

"Are you nervous or looking at me Amistathya?" Sam watching on as Amistathya admires the view. Sam gets a handful of lather and puts it on Amistathya's head. She tries to brush it off, much to his amusement. "Are you going to actually have a shower with me as I am nearly half done." Sam trying not to get soap in his mouth as he washes his face.

"Sorry Sam. I think we should have explained to each other what we can and cannot do first."

"Well to be honest I am fairly happy with you wandering as you please. If you wish to avoid the obvious then that is up to you." Sam was trying to keep the discussion clean.

"I am ok with anything except between my legs Sam."

"How about we stick to washing ourselves mostly. If you could kindly help me with my back and I will help you with your folds. We can always go a little further another day."

"I like that idea." Amistathya now actually beginning to wash herself as Sam has finished around the genitals and is onto the legs. "What really surprises me is how much hair you have."

"I do not have chest and back hair Amistathya. I think it is reasonably fair to say where I have hair you have markings."

"Unless I have not noticed having some faint markings around my nipples I do not think that is quite true." Amistathya having a grin on her face as she looks down towards her legs as she washes them, rather than at Sam.

"If there was a sponge or something similar I would have thrown it at you by now." Sam leaning up against the wall, a slight smile on his face as he watches Amistathya.

"Sponge?" Amistathya looking up at Sam with her head on a slight tilt.

"Think open cell foam. Do you not know English from our meld?"

"No Sam. I got some memories such as you digging holes in the sand on a beach when you were younger. Knowledge however is usually discarded given it has no meaningful structure or order to the other person." Amistathya being a bit of a show-off standing on one leg while washing the other and talking.

"When my head feels a little less confused you may like to learn. It is difficult for me at times to express what I want without it."

"I would appreciate that Sam." Sam nods with a smile. "Could you?" Amistathya points to the back of her head.

"I would appreciate you telling me how best to go about it."

"The ends are easy, the crease between the folds and my head is the tricky bit. I did find putting some shower gel on your finger was good but it hurts my arms doing it myself."

"How about we both sit down, it is not like we have to rush." Amistathya seemed keen on the idea and does so having he back of her head just in the shower. Sam sits down putting his legs either side of her. He puts some gel on his finger and starts at the left side. "I apologise if you find the following offensive but could I ask if I could call you Ami as I find it difficult to always remember to pronounce your name correctly?"

"Ami." Amistathya takes a while to think. "I actually like that suggestion Sam. My parents used to call me Athya in private which I sort of liked but it has no real meaning to me."

"I am relieved you like the suggestion. I have been worried about asking you for a while as I know some people really like their full name. Could I ask how you usually keep your folds clean Ami if you do not use a cloth or your fingers?"

"I collect water in the crease, then pour a bit of gel in. I then agitate, the water before rinsing. It is, not as nice as..." Amistathya having to bite her lip as her body tenses up. Sam realises what is happening.

"I guess the varying sensitivity gives you some rather odd sensations. If you are liking it that much then you may as well have some satisfaction from it Ami." Sam strokes her folds lightly with his other hand which seems to push her over the edge. Her body shivers a little before relaxing. Sam finishes the last bit on the right. "Done." Amistathya gives her head a quick rinse as she turns around to face Sam, a large smile on her face. "I assume from the physical reaction that..." Amistathya cuts Sam off by going in for a relatively short kiss. "you liked it..." Sam finishing what he had on his mind, still trying to figure out quite what had happened.

"Thank you Sam." Amistathya giving him a hug this time.

"Do all Asari have a slight bitterness to their tongues or is it from the fact you cannot taste anything?"

"I apologise for kissing you if it was unpleasant. They did warn me about that hence why I kept it short."

"You have no need to worry Ami as the taste is not sharp enough to be unpleasant. You however never cease to amaze me quite how complex you are." Amistathya blushes a little. "Could you at least wash my back now as I am shrivelling up." Sam spins around and Amistathya carefully washes Sam's back. She seemed a little disappointed that it did not gain a bigger response from Sam. "I appreciate your deft marked fingers gently washing my back Ami." Sam turning around to look at the satisfied expression on the sky blue one.

"No problem, I do feel a little guilty that I got more out of this than you." Sam moves to the side and points to a small white puddle on the floor.

"You have no need to worry, this evening has been remarkably enjoyable for me." She gives Sam a quick hug before turning the shower off and getting a towel. "Although I am wishing now that I was facing the other way." Sam sticks his hand over the shower head before turning it back on spraying Amistathya a little. "Whoops." A grin on his face as Amistathya looks not best pleased but then gains a smile moments later. Sam eventually gets the spray right and washes away the deposit before also grabbing a towel.

"Talima told be before I first met you that Amistathya had a translation. Would you be willing to tell me what it is?"

"Five petalled flower with a stem that is nearly bright, is the rough, literal translation Sam." A hint of pride in her voice. "Or pale stemmed flower if you prefer."

"That is a wonderful meaning to a name Ami. Do you dislike me for wanting to call you Ami as your name has a meaning which would not be the same if it was changed?" Sam was hoping not as he would hate to be insulting.

"No, Asari is not easy for you it seems Sam so I understand perfectly well. Also Ami is a corrupted form of Aimis, an old, long disused Asari word for a five petalled flower, which I like as a friendly name."

"Hold on. Five fingers or toes as the petals, your arm or leg as the stem and the ends of the braid as the roots holding the stem into the ground, or in your case your body. It is a perfect description of your markings." Sam wondering how many more surprises she had. Amistathya smiles as she holds her right arm in the air and separates her fingers. The back of her hand facing Sam so he can see the caps on her fingers becoming the lines down the back of her hand to twist and make the braid at her wrist. "I cannot express how brilliantly smart that name is." Amistathya puts her arm back down.

"It is the only reason I have kept it Sam. I find it annoying when people mispronounce it as it looses all meaning and I feel they are insulting me for my markings."

"I have no doubt slipped up several hundred times. I apologise deeply for that but my native language wants me to pronounce it a-mist-athya. At first I had to remember each time but it is getting easier for me."

"You are not the only one Sam. I have had people complain that it should be spelled t,h,a,y,a at the end but that would be pronounced Aymi-stath-ayea or warehouse trunked flower which is silly." Sam laughs.

"I can see how people would get confused from Aymi-sta-theia though. The subtleties make Asari so annoying to get right, especially when they must be disused words as I could not translate them, I think I am getting better."

"You have been steadily improving each day as you say Sam. At least you usually get my name right which is better than some. I understand it is not a conventional name so it could be seen as a bit confusing but still." Amistathya sighing

"As do I. It is almost as if I knew it would be a nice choice." Sam getting a bit of a laugh for that comment as the two of them get dressed.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Sorry about that you two, it ended up a little more productive than I thought." Sam thinking productive inferred just enough without being obvious.

"As long as you cleaned up the mess." Lianta having a small smile on her face as the two of them stand up from the sofa.

"I hope you two do as well." Sam thinking they must have a bit of fun sometime. Hymara picking up on Sam's quizzical look.

"Lianta gets turned on by all the scars." Lianta looking a little sheepish but not blushing. All Sam and Amistathya could do was smile as they walked towards the bathroom. Sam waited until he heard the door close before speaking up.

"It must be a commando thing with the scars, although I guess some people do not find markings sexy."

"And you do Sam?" Amistathya asking in a bit of a teasing manner.

"Ami, your wondrous hands melted straight through me. I am putting it down to the markings although it could just be incredible skill." Amistathya seems to not know what to say, her face going a little lilac. "I think now would be a good time for bed as my head is not causing me problems after that shower." The two of them walk into their room.

"For the first time in decades I have had someone else give me pleasure. I will sleep with a warm glow inside tonight. Thank you again for that Sam."

"There is no need to thank me Ami." Sam quickly stripping off and diving into the soft bed. "Oh and a comfy bed as well. Can this get any better?"

"Yes it can, but at the moment it cannot." Amistathya bringing Sam down a little. He knew it would be better if they could meld so she did have a point. Amistathya jumps into the other side of the bed, slides over and goes for a kiss. Sam puts his arms around her and gently pulls her closer as their tongues playfully fight each other. Amistathya breaks off after a minute or so with a smile on her face as she shuffles back over to her side and puts her head on the pillow. "Sleep well Sam."

"You too Ami." With that Sam turns off the light.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Why did you not let me shower with you Fosanta?" Kate lying in bed looking towards the ceiling.

"You need to pace yourself Kate. While I would really like to meld with you I would rather have it as something to look forward to. Do you think you can make it until Friday?"

"I think I can manage that. Can you think of something to make it worth my wait?"

"Are you not happy enough with me?" Fosanta looking towards Kate who looks back.

"Of course I am Fosanta. I just wanted something a bit different to look forward to. Is that unreasonable?"

"No. I will try and think of something Kate."

"Thank you. Sleep well."

"You too." The pair of them stick their heads down and go to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**A super length chapter to give people more to read at once which is never a bad thing. At least we seem to be finding more out about Amistathya now. What will the two of them do while on the Citadel. Find out on the 16th of June. **


	33. Chapter 33 : Citadel

**Chapter 33 - Citadel**

* * *

><p><strong>Monday 30th January 2017<strong>

"Morning Sam." Amistathya waking to find Sam sat up seemingly pondering something.

"Did you sleep well?"

"I did. I am guessing that you did not?"

"It was not too bad but something bugged me when I woke up last time and I have not been able to sleep since."

"Could I ask what Sam?"

"Usually a bitter taste is to either protect a plant from being eaten or to warn of a toxin. I am not sure how it works out here in the grand scheme of things but you do not look like a plant."

"My slightly bitter saliva is caused by damage to a specific set of cells in my pancreas which allow Asari to metabolise element zero to reduce its potential toxicity. My body now only partially completes the process leaving a weak element zero acid in my blood. I have been told it will cause no damage; I will just drink a little more than a normal. I am not sure if it would cause any problems to you."

"How toxic is element zero?" Sam starting to wonder if he should be worried.

"It does not cause any harm in Turians and Salarians in small quantities such as you usually find in food and drink on Thessia. Quite how relevant that is to Humans I do not know."

"What about larger quantities?"

"It tends to attack the nervous system with fibrous growths appearing on the nerves. These depending on the individual may only grow slowly and not really affect them or they can be essentially benign cancers which can kill in a few years."

"I wonder if there is any way of safely testing tolerances."

"I do not want you to offer yourself for testing Sam. You will end up as a lab rat if you do that."

"If element zero is considered potentially toxic then surely clinics will have diagnostic equipment to test for it?"

"I would assume so. My point still stands however Sam."

"When I was last on the citadel I met a very pleasant doctor called Thalmara. Actually her clinic is on this ward if I remember correctly. I am sure she would help out if she could."

"Sam, please understand they will want to know everything about you if you go."

"Would you be happier if we had a talk with her first? I could not imagine her doing anything I did not want. I just want to know quite how safe going to Thessia and eating Asari food is."

"You do know you can get food with the element zero removed on Thessia?"

"You can get that everywhere?"

"Not really outside of the tourist areas."

"If element zero is not a big problem then I would not be bothered about having to find element zero free food, which no doubt costs more."

"You have a point. Will you only agree if I feel happy with this doctor?"

"Of course. I would just feel happier knowing, thank you Ami for understanding." Sam shuffles over and gives the sombre Asari a hug. "I think breakfast would be an idea." Sam strokes Amistathya on her folds which seems to make her a little happier.

"Before breakfast I would like you to understand Sam that most Asari find shortening names highly offensive. It is considered less so however if the shortened name also follows convention. Athya did follow this Ami does not."

"I will not use it if you find it offensive as it was only a suggestion. Also you may not have been thinking all that well when you responded last night. I did not know it was against Asari social rules." Amistathya blushes slightly.

"From you Sam I find you calling me Ami endearing, not in any way offensive. I am not sure how I would react to anyone else calling me that though."

"That makes me feel special, thank you." She nods with a smile. "It also makes me hungry." Amistathya laughs a little before getting out of bed. The two of them walk to their bags in the corner of the room to get some clothes for the day.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I think we could do with a break like Sam at some point." Kate getting a little tired of always going to work and Sam being off somewhere.

"Perhaps in a few weeks Kate." Fosanta looks at her Omni-tool which has just beeped at her.

_Fosanta._

_The shower was really eventful and seems to have brought us both together a bit more. I also learned something else about the unique one which is a bit weird. It got me thinking though quite how toxic element zero is to humans. I was going to see doctor Thalmara (person who looked at Adastra's burns) to see if she had any ideas._

_I hope you have a good day._

_Sam_

"Actually that is a good question."

"What is a good question Fosanta?" Adastra and Seliha walking into the kitchen.

"How dangerous eezo is for humans Adastra."

"That is a big problem?" Kate looking at Fosanta.

"It depends Kate. Most Asari food especially on Thessia contains trace amounts. You have probably noticed in the Skylounge that some foods will have mark next to them, this means they may contain eezo." Kate tries to think if she has ever ordered anything that was marked.

"Trace amounts are considered harmless to everyone Kate. It is usually advised if your species cannot metabolise it that it is avoided if possible."

"Thank you Seliha. So Sam thought this might be an issue for him?"

"Well he did spend a few days on Thessia Kate. He probably did not specifically look for eezo free food but it should not have harmed him. Adastra he is going to see doctor Thalmara about it."

"Oh, she was very pleasant. I can think of no one better. It is just whether she can do the tests or not."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Where are we off to today?" Hymara walking into the living area from their bedroom with Lianta following.

"Well I had a sudden realisation about something this morning. It is up to Ami when we go but personally I would prefer it earlier than later. Then it is up to sky blue as to where to go."

"Sam, you do know people have been killed for shortening names?" Lianta being a little sharp.

"It is ok Lianta, Ami has agreed that I can." Lianta looks to Amistathya who nods with a bit of a smile.

"I would really prefer if you used Amistathya's full name, at least in front of others Sam. I think Lianta and I are rather tolerant but if anyone else can hear it is something you defiantly do not do."

"Do you two find it angers you to hear me shorten Amistathya's name?"

"I have killed several people who called me Lia Sam. I even knocked out one individual I was meant to be protecting for using it."

"I did not know how strong the feelings were. I apologise, I will try to keep it private."

"I appreciate it. Could you explain a bit better what we are doing today?" Sam looks to Amistathya who nods.

"Well Amistathya gave me a kiss in the shower yesterday and I noticed her mouth tasted slightly bitter. It was not a bad taste but it got me thinking. On my planet bitter things tend to be plants which do not want you to eat them or toxins. Well after asking Amistathya this morning she has said she can not properly metabolise element zero. That got me wondering how toxic it is for humans?"

"Actually that is a good question." Lianta sat there wondering why this had not come up earlier.

"I did not want Sam to go but he convinced me doctor Thalmara was a trustworthy individual."

"Amistathya, she is the nicest person you will probably meet. She has treated me on a couple of occasions; she is very good with gun shot wounds. I would recommend going earlier on today as they tend to get progressively busier as the day goes on." Hymara knowing how it tends to work given she has visited on multiple occasions.

"Ok. Could we go to the presidium at some time as I have not been before?"

"Of course Amistathya."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

It is not too long before the four of them are walking towards the clinic. It was about a forty minute walk but Amistathya insisted she wanted to walk and will cope with her nervousness as she wished to see the Citadel. Sam didn't mind given they had plenty of time and it was not as if it was an emergency.

"Why do I have a feeling we are gathering journalists as we walk along." Sam voicing his thoughts just loud enough for the three others to hear. Lianta has a look back and notices two individuals that seemed to be following them.

"You could well be correct Sam. It is going to be a constant problem on the Citadel because there is a lot of news that comes from here, therefore there are a lot of journalists."

"As long as they do not ask me questions, or start bad rumours about me then I do not care."

"That would be the best way to treat them Sam. When they get bored, they will move on." Hymara delivering her advice as yet another individual moves out of their way.

It is only a few minutes more before they enter the clinic. The same receptionist was on the desk that was on when Sam visited last. She seemed less shocked this time which Sam was a bit happier about given he had long since got bored of the stares.

"Good morning. Could I ask what the problem is?" Sam smiling a little with the fact he did not have to mention his name given he was the only male human. The journalists seemed to be amassing within line of sight off the medical centre's door.

"I am here more for medical advice. I was wondering if doctor Thalmara would be willing to help me out."

"Luckily we are not too busy this morning. I guess you may have to wait half an hour or so." Sam looks to Amistathya who nods then the two commandos who shrug.

"That sounds ok for us."

"Take a seat and she will see you when she is free." Sam nods and the three of them go to sit down in the empty waiting room.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Twenty minutes of looking at the white walls had made Sam quite bored. There was a Salarian who came in with a dislocated shoulder which seemed to look painful. He was quickly called in to the emergency room by another of the doctors.

"I am really going to get some games for my Omni-tool." Sam thinking he is probably going to have to write Sudoku, Tetris and Minesweeper himself.

"It is not that bad is it?"

"I quickly get depressed if my brain has nothing to work on Hymara." Thalmara approaches from their left.

"It is good to meet you again Sam."

"I would rather I did not have to come but it is good to see a friendly face." Thalmara laughs a little.

"Who is your friend Sam?"

"This is Amistathya. Could we go somewhere a bit more private Thalmara?"

"Of course Sam. It is good to meet you Amistathya." Amistathya nods "Follow me please." The four of them follow Thalmara through a door into a corridor, then into the second room on the left. Sam noting that it says large consulting room on the door. Inside it was indeed spacious with ample seats, there was no desk which surprised Sam but there was a small table in the corner with a potted plant on it.

"So what brought you to meet me today Sam?"

"I hope you do not have to run off in five minutes as it is quite a lengthy story."

"I will only have to leave if we get lots of emergencies arriving. I hope you understand and appreciate why."

"Of course. I hope that everything in here is kept private as the journalists are seemingly keen today."

"It is Sam. Anything said or done is confidential unless it will harm anyone else."

"Well Amistathya was not particularly happy with me coming today. She thinks given I am a bit of an unknown some people may want to run a silly number of tests to try and know everything about me."

"I apologise for asking but, are you and Sam fairly close Amistathya?" Amistathya looks across to Sam before nodding with a smile.

"Could I ask you how you met Sam?" Sam wondered for a moment why she was asking Amistathya these questions.

"We met on Thessia while I was at Galactic Acceptance." Thalmara seemed to consider that answer for a few moments.

"I deeply apologise for prying Amistathya but would you be willing to enlighten me as to what your symptoms are?"

"Could I ask why you ask?"

"You have some extremely faint scarring close to your eyes. You also are wearing gloves which tend to be to cover something on the skin. Your muscles also do not quite look as robust as I would expect. I apologise if you find my curiosity offensive, however those observations are concerning me a little."

"It is up to you Amistathya." Sam answering her looking towards him. Amistathya sighs.

"I cannot digest protein properly so I am assuming that could cause the muscles to be a little weaker. I also cannot meld with most people, not that I can anyway given I am on the dangerous list. I cannot taste anything as well." Thalmara looks a little intrigued by that admission. "The scarring is from having my skin chemically burnt." Sam thought he saw Thalmara go a shade more grey.

"You sound remarkably unlucky Amistathya. My sympathies."

"No need Thalmara, I have learned to live with my past."

"Is there anything else as you seem very pleasant and kind but you seem to be holding something back? I will not judge you Amistathya." Sam was wondering whether buttering Amistathya up was the best way to make her friendlier. Amistathya looks to Sam.

"You really need to say yourself Amistathya. Thalmara will not kill you for saying." Amistathya gave Sam a stop being difficult face. "I really need more practice in patience. You are never going to gain confidence Amistathya if you keep asking me." Amistathya just shrugs. "Thalmara Amistathya has natural markings like Adastra. That is what is hidden by the gloves."

"Are you ashamed of yourself Amistathya?" Amistathya nods. Sam was wondering when this was going to get around to the reason why he wanted to come.

"Just a couple more questions but I need you to be truthful Amistathya. Were you always so ashamed of yourself?" Sam wondered quite what was going on in Thalmara's head.

"No. I have always warn gloves and been shy however."

"If I asked if I could see your markings what are your thoughts?" Amistathya seemed to close up. "Amistathya I do not want you to show me anything. I just wish to know what you are feeling."

"I am suspicious as to why you want to see, if you do what your reaction would be and what you would do with the knowledge afterwards."

"I apologise for the questions but I wished to work out whether it was a chemical imbalance or your past. Sorry Amistathya." Amistathya nods. "My apologies for the deviation Sam, please continue."

"I was curious as to how toxic or not element zero was to humans."

"You were not tested when you arrived?"

"No Thalmara. It might have been because we left the Citadel ahead of schedule I do not know. I believe the other human, Kate, also missed out on a psychological evaluation."

"I am confused as to why you have just thought of this?" Sam looks to Amistathya who gives a small nod.

"Well when Amistathya and I kissed last night her mouth tasted a little bitter. I asked Amistathya this morning if she knew why that was the case for her. She said she does not metabolise element zero fully which is how the question came up."

"I think you are the most complicated person medically, I have met for a number of years Amistathya. I need to ask have you been in a hospital lately?"

"About three weeks ago."

"I am relieved about that. It can be difficult for people who only have the partial metabolisation of element zero to balance the blood pH. If the individual cannot do so then it can cause rather rapid kidney failure."

"You mean she has another symptom that is helping?" Sam asking curiously.

"My personal theory Amistathya is you have multiple imbalances just about balancing. Asari have a rather strange interaction between various chemical processes and their ability to meld as well which might be why you cannot with most people. Do you find it difficult to attempt to meld Amistathya?"

"Yes, it is a bit difficult at the start although I have always been like that."

"Could I ask if you have connected with Sam? I will not mention it to anyone that it is illegal as you do not seem to want to harm each other." Amistathya and Sam look at each other before both nodding at Thalmara. "Sam did you find the neural instability a bit worse than usual?"

"Yes I did." Sam was thoroughly intrigued at this point as to where this was going.

"Amistathya do you find you have a need to drink fairly often?"

"More often than I used to."

"I believe a small nitrogen supplement would make you much more comfortable Amistathya. You may also find it a little easier to concentrate for periods of time. It may also reduce your bitter saliva a little although it will not eliminate it." Amistathya seemed a little amazed. Sam gave her a smile.

"Thank you Thalmara."

"No problem Amistathya. I will sort you out with what you need at the end." Amistathya nods. "Sam. The test can only be done accurately in a medical lab and even then it is a bit of a guess. Usually I have no way to do a basic test but today is different as long as Amistathya would be willing to part with a urine sample."

"What for?"

"The partially metabolised element zero Amistathya. If Sam is unable to metabolise it then it will raise the amount of alkaline compounds in his urine. If he is then I will see fully metabolised element zero."

"Can you not use element zero?"

"No Hymara. If Sam is unable to metabolise it then it will collect in his body and only be excreted slowly over the next few weeks. This gives it time to cause potential damage."

"So the partially metabolised variant does not stay in the system?"

"Not as long as it is water soluble Sam. It might make your tongue feel cold but given it will only be a trace amount then I expect no other side effects. Are you both ok with proceeding?"

"I am ok if Amistathya is." Amistathya nods.

"Please excuse me for a moment." Thalmara leaves the room.

"I see you were impressed Amistathya at her ability to work out what you would be better off with, without even touching you or seeing any records."

"I will see if it does make a difference." Thalmara reappears carrying three sealable plastic jars, two which were about pint sized and a much smaller one.

"I would appreciate it if you could both try to fill these about half full. Do not worry if you cannot manage that." Thalmara gives Sam and Amistathya one pint pot each. "The toilets are left out of the door, three doors down." Sam nods and leaves with Amistathya following. "Are you two well?"

"I cannot complain Thalmara. Sam seems to be the most active individual out of the Enlighten crew which keeps myself and Lianta fairly busy."

"I would probably be very bored if I was contracted to any of the others. Adastra may not be too bad since she also has a close friend."

"How did Adastra's burns heal?"

"Sam would be the best person to ask Thalmara as we have not even seen her body." Hymara answering as best she can.

"I must ask, have you seen Amistathya's markings?"

"She showed us her hands on the way to the Citadel from Illium. I was rather disappointed that she felt she had to keep them hidden as they do look remarkably pleasing." Lianta showing her annoyance for society seeing it as a bad thing.

"I am not even a fan of art and I found her hands oddly likeable." Sam reappears with his pot just over half full.

"I know it is a bit more than you wanted but there was only a bit left." Sam handing Thalmara the pot.

"That is fine Sam. I really did not want that much from you but I did not want Amistathya thinking I was treating her differently."

"Amistathya is not the same as Adastra Thalmara. She seems to want to be seen as different which confused me a little as well when I first met her."

"That is good to know Sam." Amistathya walks in holding an exactly half full pot.

"Did you keep stopping and checking if it was half full?" Sam teasing her a little.

"Maybe." Sam laughs a little.

"I appreciate your help Amistathya. If you could all excuse me for a few minutes I need to get everything ready." Thalmara walks out of the room with the two pots.

"Well this is going to be one of the strangest things I have ever done."

"I am confused Sam."

"I will practically be drinking Amistathya's urine Hymara. The concept just seems a bit not normal. That reminds me I could do with messaging Adastra."

"How did that remind you to message Adastra Sam?"

"No idea Amistathya. I think I will do it later as I see a lot of sitting around coming up." Sam looks at Amistathya's confused face. "What? You should know that sometimes my mind makes random detours. I need to message her about the large thruster design."

"Adastra did not seem too convinced by the idea."

"I do not blame her as a twenty metre diameter thruster is quite a ridiculous size. That is until you see the size of the hanger. I think it is about proportional."

"Did I hear that correctly Sam?"

"Yes Lianta, twenty metres. We need something which will move a silly amount of air."

"I would have thought you might have tried something a bit more conventional."

"You mean like an electrostatic speaker?" Lianta nods. "I thought it might be too difficult making a twenty five metre square sheet taught enough so it did not sag in the middle." Thalmara reappears into the room carrying a plastic cup.

"You have a point Sam."

"I apologise if I am interrupting. Sam, I would appreciate you drinking this. I have removed most of the waste products but I must warn you it may still taste a little unpleasant." Thalmara gives Sam the cup which Sam has a smell at first. He could smell a slight urine odour but it was very weak.

"You said to expect my mouth to feel cold?"

"It will taste cooler than it is Sam. There are other side effects as well. I would like you to stay here so I can keep an eye on you but I do not expect anything else to happen."

"That sounds sensible to me." Sam thinks it is better if he drinks it in one so he does so. It felt as if it was a slightly chilled drink he was drinking even though it was slightly warm. The cold feeling seemed to take the edge off the urine after-taste. "Well that was strange, something warm tasting cool is not right."

"Sam, I would like you not to drink anything else for an hour." Sam nods. "What was most intriguing was the fact your urine was fairly similar in composition to that of an Asari."

"That should help you in getting a rough idea what is happening then."

"It should Sam. Before I sort out Amistathya could I ask you how Adastra is?"

"It was not too long before she was back to her usual self again. Her skin healed well."

"I am glad to hear that. Amistathya I was thinking of something simple you could use instead of a tablet as it is both a little inconvenient and quite difficult to get the same product on other worlds. I am sure you have seen the bottled water, Aguate."

"Yes it is practically everywhere."

"It is and there are a number of nitrates in that water which would be suitable as a replacement for you. It is just a matter of swapping out water in drinks for that."

"So you mean if you have to dilute something with water you use that instead of tap water."

"That is exactly my point Sam. It also would be fine to drink it on its own if you are going to be unable to prepare drinks yourself. You only need about half a litre a day." Amistathya looks to Sam.

"I think it is a good idea but it is entirely up to you. I would to with sending this message to Adastra." Sam opens his Omni-tool and goes to the compose section.

_Adastra,_

_I have a spare hour of doing nothing but I do not have access to a console. Are you working on the large thruster design or are you going to leave it until I get back? She asked how your skin healed which I thought was nice. I will send another message later._

_Sam_

Sam sends the message. "Well that wasted two minutes. I am going to have to make more effort not to get myself into situations which require me to go flying around the galaxy. Armali will not be too pleased if this continues."

"You work at Armali Sam?"

"Well I have worked one day in the last week, but yes. You seem a little surprised?"

"I am as they mainly work with biotics but if you have biotic potential then you would not need an element zero test."

"Oh, no I work in their propulsion design facility on Illium. The thruster design I should be working on now will probably have to be completed by early April at the latest."

"Have you been to Thessia recently?"

"Yes Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday last week. Why do you ask?"

"I was just curious as you have trace amounts of element zero in your urine. As does Amistathya I must point out."

"So the fact that it is there is not proof it is a potential problem?" Thalmara nods before seemingly getting another question.

"I am guessing a thruster takes a long time to design. How did you manage to get the time off?"

"Well in a weird way I suppose I am the customer for the thruster so if it is not done in time then it is not really affecting anyone other than myself."

"I apologise for being curious but why would an individual want a thruster?"

"It is not for personal use Thalmara, that would be silly. All I can say is it will be on Illium in May. I think Armali did not have a massive choice as I have an interesting problem that needs a bit of quiet time."

"You make so little sense Sam it is quite refreshing. Is the problem medical related?"

"If you can read between the lines then all I can say is Amistathya's scaring and us deciding to meld."

"So you are on the dangerous list as well?"

"I am Thalmara which is going to cause so many problems."

"I assume they thought that people would not go near anyone else on the dangerous list."

"Technically I was not on the dangerous list until this morning."

"Really Amistathya?"

"Yes I have lived on Illium ever since the event so had not been entered into the system. This is my first time ever on the Citadel."

"You never came on a school trip?" Thalmara thinking it was remarkably uncommon to meet an Asari that had not been to the Citadel at least once.

"My primary school was relatively small so they did not have the budget to take us. I officially never attended secondary school. Unofficially it was four days." Amistathya looked a little saddened.

"I apologise for asking Amistathya. It is difficult to know what I can talk about to help the time pass." Sam had a quick look at the chair to see how well built it was.

"Amistathya, do you want to?" Sam patting his knee. Amistathya gets up and takes a seat on Sam's knee, Sam carefully putting his arms around her waist. "Thalmara I know the feeling of having to be careful. I am sure Amistathya would not hesitate in burying her past in a black hole somewhere if she could."

"There was another human, how is she?"

"You mean Kate. I have not seen her much as I have been away quite a bit but she seems happy."

"Does she have someone she is close to?"

"She gets on well with Fosanta but whether that is just friends or something more I do not know for sure." Sam thinking that lie is just about plausible and he would hate to give the reporters anything. Thalmara nods. "Actually I have just thought why we had reporters following us this morning. The fact we have been added to the dangerous list. I am sure one of them has spotted I was added."

"Actually that could be highly likely Sam. Things in the public domain tend not to stay private long."

"All that means Hymara is it is impossible to meld in public. I am already getting annoyed again at the feeling of being artificially limited by some over applied law though."

"I am sure you would get away with it once Sam."

"I already tried that in front of the Asari Councillor Thalmara, she was definitely unimpressed. I highly doubt I could get away with it again. I only got away with it last time after Adastra was reclassified for a day."

"Thalmara, this would be another reason we are never bored with Sam."

"I will not ask what you talked about while I was out of the room." Sam gets a message which he immediately looks at.

_Sam,_

_I am leaving the design until you are back. I am working on the system to split in intake which is remarkably difficult. I can see why people have not attempted this before. I would appreciate it if you could look over the work when you get time to make sure I have not made any silly mistakes. Say thank you to Thalmara for me._

_Adastra._

"Adastra sends her thanks for looking at her and asking how she is Thalmara. I really hate Illium for sending messages to as you have to try and keep information out of messages which is impossible to do."

"I hear Adastra has a close friend as well. What is she like Sam?"

"Yet another interesting individual, she has duality syndrome but lives in her recessive personality."

"Are you sure about that Sam?"

"I do not think she has a reason to lie Thalmara. She did flat out admit she wanted me to be her bondmate but I both would have struggled to keep a lid on her outbursts and I already have my choice."

"I can imagine she is a bit of a handful if that is true."

"Well I think difficult but not unreasonable is the best description. I think she respects Adastra given she should be able to beat her in a biotic fight."

"Are we going to have to keep an eye on her Sam?"

"Well she did supposedly attack Kate the other day so it might be wise to be a little cautious Hymara."

"Sam, when you feel ready could you about half fill this pot?" Thalmara handing Sam the small pot.

"I think I can manage that. Could you let me get up Amistathya?" Amistathya goes back to sit on her chair as Sam walks out of the room. Silence descends which is only broken just over a minute later by Sam arriving back with two thirds full pot. "It is remarkably difficult to actually get it half full." Sam handing the pot to Thalmara.

"It does not matter as long as I have enough to test Sam. I will be back in a few minutes." Thalmara leaves the room.

"I can see there being some rumours in the media later about me being ill or whatever."

"You may be right. I really would not bother about them. So the plan for today is to go for lunch and then go to the presidium?" Sam looks to Amistathya.

"Yes Lianta."

"I wonder what I am going to feel like tomorrow?"

"You will find out tomorrow." Sam rolls his eyes at Amistathya's witty reply. Thalmara appears a couple of moments later. Everyone seemingly wanting to know the news.

"Sam. Your results are rather odd so I have no definitive answer. My only explanation is your body can process trace amounts using a very intensive process. There will be a point where that process will be too inefficient to work properly and cause unknown possibly harmful side effects. That is only my best guess however as without blood tests, a research lab and a good grasp of your species biology it is very difficult to know."

"I was only curious as to whether food and drink are fine to consume even if they are not element zero free?"

"That is perfectly fine Sam, even on Thessia. Oh and just in case you were wondering Amistathya is perfectly harmless as well." Sam laughs a little.

"That was more information than I needed Thalmara."

"You never know Sam. The possibility of your species being able to be naturally biotic is a bit of a revelation though."

"Wait so it seems likely that humans could be biotic?"

"Given you can only process trace amounts of element zero the natural potential would probably not be all that much but with bioamps it could be interesting. I must say now there is no chance of you becoming biotic Sam. The element zero nodes on the nervous system have to be created at the same time as the nervous system."

"That would have been interesting but I am happy enough as I am. If this news gets out of this room though then my species has big problems."

"Why Sam?"

"Hymara, what do you think will happen if people think we are a biotic species. I think it would cause undue nervousness which exactly what is not needed before first contact."

"How come you are here if first contact has not been made Sam?"

"The Enlighten was inadequate for first contact especially after it had been attacked. I was more an unintended but needed contact. Kate just happened to stumble into our meeting which made it difficult for her not to be brought along as she soon knew too much."

"So people think you have just disappeared?"

"I would assume they would guess we were killed. Especially so since they would find our homes emptied and lacking in DNA evidence."

"Ok. I will not tell anyone about this Sam as I can see why it would be a problem."

"Thank you Thalmara for your understanding and your time this morning. I could do with something to eat now though." Thalmara nods.

"I agree Sam. Thank you again Thalmara."

"No problem Amistathya, just remember what I suggested and you might feel that little bit better." Amistathya nods.

"I appreciate the effort Thalmara. I hope I do not have to come back again for a while."

"If you have any more problems or questions Sam you know where I am. It is good to see you again Lianta." Lianta nods. "Hymara, It is always good to see you, especially when you have not been shot or injured."

"I will see you again Thalmara." Thalmara nods to Hymara.

"I am sure you can all find your way out. I need to destroy some results before someone asks about them." The four of them nod and Thalmara leaves.

"Ok I can see why you suggested Thalmara Sam even when I was against the idea."

"I am starting to wonder whether coming to the Citadel was a good idea as I have something else on my mind now. I feel we should get something to eat first though." Amistathya nods and the four of them leave the clinic to be very nearly walled in by reporters and journalists.

"Why are you on the dangerous list?" Sam heard one of them shout. Sam stopped Hymara from going on ahead.

"Maybe I do not want people bothering me. Also before anyone asks I was only after advice, I have no health problems." Sam lowers his tone. "Right time to move Hymara."

"I thought I said to be quiet."

"I know but it is funny to annoy them." The three of them shake their heads.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate, Adastra, Fosanta and Seliha were sat around a table in the Skylounge eating their lunch. Kate had made sure her meal was eezo free. "So what have you been doing this morning Adastra?"

"Well probably unlike you Seliha I have been working on something which I am starting to think will not work."

"Why are you working on it then?"

"Have you ever seen the gas feed for a large plasma thruster?" Seliha shakes her head. "The problem is unlike with the smaller thrusters you have to expand the liquid hydrogen long before the thruster to get the flow rate that is needed without freezing various control valves. We would probably need a fifteen metre diameter hydrogen pipe from hanger five which is ridiculous. I guess we would only need a two metre diameter water pipe, the problem is splitting the water."

"That sounds quite interesting."

"It is Fosanta but it is whether it works. It would really help gas management on-board some of the larger ships." Fosanta gets a message which she reads.

_Fosanta,_

_Trace amounts are ok and do not have to be avoided. Tell Adastra I will have a look at her design this evening. I have having great fun with journalists and reporters now, it is getting annoying already._

_Sam._

"Kate you do not need to avoid any food, trace amounts are harmless."

"I will remember that as some of the marked food in the Skylounge looks rather tasty."

"At least you know it is safe now." Kate nods. "Adastra Sam said he will look at your design this evening."

"I will make sure I put it in his personal folder. Any other news?"

"He seems to have the media following him around now. He did not say why."

"I am guessing that is because he wants to avoid the Illium media finding out too quickly and annoying us."

"You may be right there Adastra."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The four of them get on the shuttle which was about to depart to the presidium. "Well that worked well, the media will be a few minutes behind us now." Lianta happy to get rid of them for a while.

"The presidium is quite a nice place Amistathya. It is certainly not something you would expect in the middle of space anyway." Amistathya nods as she seems mesmerised at the view from the window.

"This is all still a bit strange to me anyway Sam. I have seen the Citadel many times in images and video streams but it is nothing compared to actually being here."

"The fact there is a whole galaxy of different species out here still amazes me. It certainly make you feel very small and insignificant."

"C-Sec tends to have a strong presence in the presidium so if you could stick to the laws then I would appreciate it."

"Is there a reason you are looking at me Hymara."

"You have a tendency to not do what you are asked Sam. If you would kindly not talk to any more reporters I would appreciate the reduced hassle."

"I will not for today." Hymara nods. The shuttle slows to a stop at the station and they all disembark. "Where do you wish to go Amistathya or would you rather just have a look around?"

"Just a look around. A seat somewhere quiet would be nice so I can take everything in." They all begin walking towards the lake. "The artificial sky looks wonderful."

"It also goes dark at night as well Amistathya."

"Really?"

"Well it was darkened when we walked back from having an evening meal in a restaurant around here somewhere. Quite where it was I do not remember as all these white pathways confuse me."

"You could use the signage Sam."

"Amistathya, that is fine when you have the use of an auto-translator. I did not when I was last here."

"Sorry Sam. I suppose they are so common that you think most people have one."

"Actually thinking about it, the C-sec officers that were protecting Kriana, Emala and Shiala must have spoke Asari as I did not have any real problem understanding them." Amistathya laughs a little at how he managed to dredge up that thought.

"I found that strange at the time to be fair Sam. Turians tend to learn Salarian as a second language as it is easier for them to pronounce the words accurately." Lianta wondering why they did not just speak their own language and let Sam and Kate muddle through.

"I know full well how difficult Asari is. I still do not think I get everything right."

"You do not Sam but we can all understand you. I think it might be your native language which causes the slight annunciation problems as Kate tends to get similar things wrong as well."

"That is good to know Hymara. I remember Fosanta laughing at my pronunciation on the Enlighten. I felt a bit foolish but there was no other way to communicate." The four of them find a quiet bench and take a seat.

"Is that an artificial sky?" Sam seeing his opportunity to play repeat the previous conversation.

"Yes Amistathya. It also goes dark as well."

"Really Sam?"

"Yes and we really have had this conversation just ten minutes ago." Amistathya sighs.

"I have had a few things I have forgotten but I managed to keep quiet."

"I find changing the topic to something else quickly helps."

"I guess that is why you have been so random lately?"

"Not really Amistathya. I am always that random, I just usually wait until it is appropriate to say what I am thinking."

"You said you had something else on your mind before we came out of the medical centre."

"I just have something which I feel would be important to provide my opinion on. I am however not quite sure how people will take my opinion or whether they would listen or not. I could just forget about as it will not happen in my lifetime but it would be a problem for you Amistathya."

"Is it about what was discussed after you got the answer?" Amistathya keeping it vague as she thinks she has spotted a couple of reporters.

"It is partially related to that." Sam starts laughing.

"What is funny Sam?" Hymara confused by the sudden outburst.

"I lived for over twenty seven years and not once did I ask, 'it would be so handy if I could mentally connect with the other person right now'. Now after six weeks I cannot seem to live without it. Admittedly I was less paranoid about secrets back then given I was essentially a nobody with nothing interesting to say."

"I would be willing to Sam."

"I know Amistathya but I think Hymara prefers it if I, we behave." Hymara nods. "Also I should really be trying to make the most of today." Sam looked over to the other side of the lake and saw someone who seemed to be taking photos in their direction. "Do you have anything else you wish to do today?"

"Not particularly as the Citadel is not all that large and we do have a number of days yet. I was thinking the botanical gardens may be an idea one day."

"That sounds interesting Amistathya." Sam hears a shuffling from the bushes behind them. "I think it could be an idea to move." Lianta looks confused as Amistathya turns around. "Either I am hearing things or the bushes behind us do have a person in them." Lianta gets up and looks through a gap in the greenery.

"Would you like some help out of there?" Lianta being semi rhetorical in her question to the Asari who was clearly on a spying mission.

"There is nothing stopping me being here."

"Would you rather be in the lake? It would at least make a good story?"

"You would be arrested."

"Lianta we are heading back." Hymara giving Lianta an excuse to leave before something bad happens.

"I do not carry guns for show. If people become a problem they will be delt with. Have a good day." Lianta leaves the Asari to join the back of the group.

"I would have paid to see someone get thrown into the lake but I guess it would not be much of a deterrent."

"You are correct Sam and I also think Lianta did not want to cause too much trouble."

"No it was because we have a bigger problem than I thought if they are willing to go to those lengths to get something." The four of them get into a shuttle back to the botanical garden station. Not a word was exchanged on the eleven minute journey. Amistathya seemed content with looking out of the window. They all disembark and proceed to head back to the hotel. Sam could feel the burn of paranoia on his back as they walked along. Amistathya walking closer to Sam as if he has some kind of protective force field around him. They approach the front of the hotel to see a small mass of waiting media.

"Keep your heads down and just keep walking." Each of them followed Hymara's advice and lead just about getting through the group in one piece and through the main entrance. Amistathya was holding the upper side of her left arm, a notable grimace on her face. Sam carefully moves her to be standing behind one of the pillars out of sight of the front windows before hugging her.

"Amistathya will you be ok?"

"I will manage Sam." An Asari approaches the group.

"Have they hurt you?"

"Who would you be?" Hymara was curious as she looked a little too formal for a random person.

"I am Dastana, the manager of this hotel. They have been standing around out there for the last few hours."

"We have been told not to touch Amistathya Dastana. I can understand why now." Lianta leaving Sam to give Amistathya a bit of support. Sam notices Dastana looking a little confused out of the corner of his eye.

"Amistathya be strong." Sam whispers before breaking the hug and turning to Dastana. "Are the media usually quite so aggressive? It is good to meet you by the way Dastana."

"It is also a pleasure to meet you Sam. The media are not usually this bad, I have heard them regularly shout comments to try and provoke a response but not a battle with each other. Are you ok?" Amistathya nods. "If she has a bruise I would happily back up any evidence with CCTV footage to press charges against the individual."

"Sorry Dastana that offer will have to be declined. I appreciate the thought though." Sam turns to Amistathya. "Are you good to go up to the room?" Amistathya nods. The four of them make their way to the lift and up to the room.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The four of them get into the house after a days work. Fosanta had just stepped into the house as her Omni-tool beeps.

_Fosanta,_

_Bit of an update. I may be back earlier than planned as the media are causing us serious problems. I would advise you to be on the lookout if you venture into Nos Astra. We have just had a bit of a problem outside the hotel with one of them hitting the sky blue one. I am expecting a bit of a bruise. I will message Adastra later._

_Sam._

"Well Sam may be back sooner than he thought."

"That is good news Fosanta."

"Not really Adastra. They are having problems with the journalists, one has just hit Amistathya. Probably not hard and accidently but still. He has warned us to be careful if we go into Nos Astra."

"I suppose it is most difficult for Sam as his security has the most difficult partner to protect as well. I do not even know whether she can actually use biotics or not to protect herself."

"I would be very surprised if she could not manage a push Adastra. Even some with unstable biotics can manage that."

"True Seliha but Adastra does have a point in that he does have the most difficult person that needs protecting." Fosanta wrapping up the topic as they all pile into the kitchen for food.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The four of them walk into their room feeling a little happier they are somewhere relatively quiet and safe. Amistathya makes a move for the bedroom and Sam follows. Hymara and Lianta go for the sofa again. Sam decides locking the door behind him might make Amistathya feel a little happier so he does so as Amistathya sits down on the side of the bed to look out of the window. "Would you let me look to see if you have a bruise Ami?"

"I appreciate you trying to keep my problems a secret Sam." Amistathya talking as she pulls her top off, wincing a little as it slides over her arm.

"That is no problem but that bruise is quite something. I just feel annoyed I cannot help the individual gain some idea what they have done." Sam looking at the purple bruise which although the middle looked small it seems to have seeped out and spread to cover about half of her upper arm.

"I have a feeling I will be sleeping on one side for a couple of nights." Amistathya looking at it seemingly hoping it would magically disappear.

"Is it sore on the edge as it seems like it has spread?"

"I do not want to touch it myself. I will let you if you want." Sam was starting to wonder if she was relying on him too much or whether she was doing it to get more attention.

"Do say if it hurts." Sam carefully moved his finger towards the bruise as soon as his finger touched the bruise Amistathya moved away. "That must be very sore as I was barely touching."

"I hate bruises. I used to get them every now and then when I banged into a desk or fell over something while cleaning the research lab. The one I got on my backside one time was highly irritating."

"I am guessing that was what you did in your contract between the skin burn and the suicide attempt?"

"Yes. To be honest it was about the best I could get given I have had no formal secondary education. I really need to stop moaning as I guess it is depressing to listen to."

"Ami, it is anything but, considering most of this happened before even my parents were born. Also I appreciate hearing you talk about it. I know you do not find it easy to open up."

"I am a little less nervous than I used to be around you."

"I am glad to hear that especially since it is barely a week since I met you in the padded room. I can not imagine the confusion I caused when I walked in." Amistathya smiled at that thought.

"I thought I had worked out how the universe worked and how I did not belong. Then you walked in, an unknown species who both looked similar to an Asari and yet clearly not. I still think you look strange and I still find how you got here a bit of a stretch to believe."

"I really would like to see the Enlighten again someday as it was a rather interesting few weeks. Anyway that is something to think about another day. What do you think we should do given we are practically walled into the hotel now. I am contemplating whether to leave early and just accept the addiction. If we have four days of sitting around in this room I think it could be a bit boring."

"I would like to stay here a while longer. It is nice to have a bit of freedom."

"I would happily change the rules a bit Ami if you feel that bad about going back."

"No Sam, Seliha and Adastra scare me a little. I would ideally like the contract ended but I would like to try and understand those two a little better first. I hope you understand."

"I do but it could be because they know so little about you."

"To be fair I still do not know everything that I would like to about you."

"What would you say to us leaving on Thursday. That gives us a couple of days to get to know each other better."

"I suppose it depends what Holana says."

"Oh I forgot about that. I think we should have a talk to Hymara and Lianta about some food."

"I agree." Amistathya picks up her top off the bed and puts it on trying very hard to avoid the bruise. The two of them exit the room to find Hymara walking towards the door.

"Where are you off to?"

"There is someone at the door. I will happily throw them into the lift if they are a journalist." Sam nods as Hymara opens the door. "Oh I am surprised to see you here Talima." Hymara gestures her in.

"I was meant to be doing something else this evening but there have been some developments."

"Hello Talima. Let me guess are they journalist related?"

"Yes Sam. Holana cannot risk people finding out she may have a client. Sha'ira wishes me to say she is disappointed at what is happening but she is unable to do anything. I was sent to answer any questions you may have."

"Have a seat Talima." Sam gesturing to the other side of the table. Amistathya sits down next to Sam. Talima sits opposite Sam at a slight angle so she can speak to Hymara and Lianta on the sofa. "Does this mean Holana is unable to help now?"

"Unfortunately. She seemed a little happier than usual today."

"Are we ok being here Talima as it sounds a little private?"

"Yes Lianta as long as you will not tell anyone else." Lianta nods.

"Great so they have messed up the plan and hurt Amistathya. I am really not impressed."

"So you do have a bruise Amistathya?" Amistathya nods to Hymara.

"I have no idea what is best to do now as about the only reason I was here was for Holana's help."

"I understand that Sam."

"Do you know what the journalists want from us Talima as they seemed awfully desperate to get something?"

"They have a lot of assumptions about you and Amistathya which they want to clear up. That and the fact you went to a medical centre this morning. Then they would like an interview with one of the new species not to mention one of the Enlighten crew given the rather sketchy news on its reappearance."

"Great, so I am basically target number one. This is never going to go away is it?"

"Not quickly at least Sam."

"Is there some way of getting a bit of a quieter time?"

"Unfortunately Amistathya I cannot see an easy way of achieving that. As long as you are with Sam you are always likely to be hassled by journalists."

"Do you think leaving Thursday to head to Thessia, spend a night there and then head back home would be an idea Amistathya?"

"I actually like the sound of that Sam."

"Good I could do with sending a message to Adastra as we try and find something to eat."

"The hotel has a restaurant downstairs, there may be some journalists there but it would be better than going outside."

"Are you going to join us Talima?"

"If you do not mind I unfortunately have other things I must attend to."

"Would it be possible to see either yourself or Sha'ira on Wednesday?"

"You will get a message tomorrow Sam. I can say it will not be myself visiting as I will be elsewhere. I wish you all a pleasant time." The four of them nod and Talima leaves the apartment.

"Could I ask why you wanted to see Sha'ira Sam?"

"I have a couple of things I would like an opinion on from someone who seems to know all the various kinds of red tape." Hymara nods seemingly happy with that answer. Sam opens the door and the four of them leave and head to the restaurant.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra is upstairs still working on the water feed for the thrusters. "Do you not get sick of working on something constantly?" Adastra looks up to see Seliha leaning on the doorframe.

"If it is interesting and seems possible then I quite like the challenge. I am finding it difficult to do any better than just using a smaller standard unit integrated into the thruster. The problem is it adds a lot onto the length which could be a problem." Adastra seems a little frustrated.

"I am sure you will come up with something better soon." Adastra gets a notification on the console screen of a new message.

_Adastra,_

_I deeply apologise for not looking at the design tonight a number of problems have occurred which needed solving. It seems I am going to have quite a bit of free time tomorrow and Wednesday so I will probably be helping you as we are essentially stuck inside the hotel._

_Sam_

"I will leave it for work tomorrow. It might be better to sleep on it." Adastra giving Seliha a smile as she locks the console.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Hello Kate, I was wondering how long it would be before you noticed."

"It was a little mean not to say I could have showered with you." Kate seemingly a little annoyed at not noticing the bathroom door had been left open earlier. Fosanta smiled as she could see Kate was seemingly fixated as she towelled herself dry.

"Kate I hope you do not feel offended but I need to make sure you do not become addicted. I would rather make sure that if you are the wrong individual for me that you are not left with no one to turn to."

"You think I am the wrong individual?" Kate not sounding hurt by that notion.

"While I think you are the right person Kate, I really wish to make entirely sure. I feel it is best to be careful for everyone's benefit."

"We are still ok for Friday though?"

"Of course as I am looking forward to it." Kate jumps in to the shower as Fosanta finishes off drying her feet.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Would you mind if we swapped which side of the bed we have Sam?"

"Do you just not like that side?" Sam figuring out why but deciding to have a little fun.

"No it is that I am limited to what side I can sleep on and I would rather be facing towards you."

"Do I get anything in return?"

"Do you have something in mind?"

"You may be a little apprehensive Ami, but I would like you to express the dark streak in your personality somehow."

"I would rather stay on the other side."

"Ami. It does not have to be public or even anything over the top. I can think of a number of things but I would like you to find your own way. Would you reconsider?"

"I will try to think of another idea on my own but I would like one from you." Sam takes a couple of moments to think.

"I am not going to provide specifics but wearing something a little different would be one."

"I am confused."

"Well white, plain and simple is hardly the description I would use for you Ami. You could even start by wearing something which better represents you in private and keep what you wear now for public."

"I will have a think about that Sam." Amistathya walks around the bed and stripping off before jumping in.

"There is plenty of time to talk it over tomorrow. I hope you sleep well."

"You too."

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**Citadel journalists being a pain, nothing new there then. I hope the explanation surrounding element zero is logical in how it can be tolerated by Asari through metabolising it into something less damaging. The fact that it is partially broken down into something water soluble would explain how it could be passed to a foetus to enable the creation of nodes on the nervous system.**

**The next chapter will be posted on the 23rd of June. Thank you all for reading.**


	34. Chapter 34 : Personal Space

**Chapter 34 - Personal Space**

* * *

><p><strong>Tuesday 31st January 2017<strong>

Sam jumps as his Omni-tool rudely awakens him. "Do you not use how to use the mute Sam?" Amistathya saying with a smile from the other side of the bed.

"I do but I forgot. I wonder if it is possible to set it so that it only beeps between certain times."

"I would guess there is a way. It is probably in some obscure advanced menu somewhere in your Omni-tool."

"You have a point Ami. It is really not designed for communications." Sam reads the message after fiddling around in the options menu and finding nothing to set a timer.

_Sam,_

_I have a short meeting early tomorrow afternoon. Once that has ended I will come to see you in your hotel room._

"Who was it?" Sam laughing a little.

"We will have a visit tomorrow afternoon by some unnamed individual who seems to like omitting her name as if it is some kind of running joke."

"Sha'ira?" Sam nods.

"I do not think I have complemented you yet on your facial markings Ami. The ivy like plant seemingly growing from a cap on the end of each of your folds is rather interesting as the stem is more of a dashed line unlike the markings on your body which are continuous. I also like how the ones from your lower folds split and seem to delicately enhance your eyes by growing either side of them."

"Thank you Sam. I have occasionally looked at myself and wondered if I would look better if some of the leaf like markings were removed. Light blue is not the least obvious colour for markings which does make them a little difficult to live with."

"Be happy with what you have Ami. I have seen some individuals with very little marking and I guess it would be a little difficult to read facial expressions in that case."

"It makes it a little slower but it is not difficult Sam. I do get your point and it is not like my face is heavily marked so it is more marking colour than not above the nose."

"I would say about twenty percent light blue or something like that. As you are lying now is rather pretty as the light from the gas cloud through the window gives the light blue a slight warm glow." Amistathya pulls the duvet over her head. "Trust you to spoil my moment." Amistathya pokes her head out with a smile. "Anyway it is a good time to get up as I need to help Adastra at some point today and I believe you wished to get to know me better?"

"I do Sam." Amistathya gets up from under the covers and has a look at her bruise which had gained a bit of a brown tinge. Sam does likewise before shuffling across the bed to sit down next to Amistathya.

"Your bruise looks a little painful but a little smaller. Does it feel any better?"

"It is not sore unless something touches it. I do not think the individual hit me too hard as I have had worse ones; this I feel will not last more than a handful of days."

"I am glad to hear that." Sam gives her a short hug before finding something to put on. Amistathya quickly joining in the clothing hunt in the bags.

"Do you think I could talk to you while you help Adastra today as the office area is nice and private?"

"I suppose I can keep communication to Adastra text only. I am sure Adastra will understand." Amistathya gives Sam a hug before the two of them walk out of the bedroom into the living area to find Hymara and Lianta watching something. "Morning."

"You both slept ok?" Sam looks to Amistathya who nods.

"It seems we did."

"I am glad to hear that as there are a number of articles about you in this mornings news. Most are just pure speculation but one or two were having a rant about you trivialising being on the dangerous list."

"Be honest Lianta, were there any insults towards me personally?"

"Actually they seem to be targeting Amistathya more. Funnily enough it tends to be the more egotistical reporters who have made those comments."

"I am actually amused that they are so annoyed that they feel the need to write about it. Does that screen have a pause function on it as we could do with some breakfast." Hymara pauses the screen and the two of then get up to join Sam and Amistathya for breakfast.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra had already been working on the thruster for about an hour when a beep broke the eerie quiet in her room. Feeling a bit of relief something was happening she reads the message.

_Adastra,_

_I am guessing you have been at work a while. Sorry but you begin to treat these times off world as a holiday so we are just finishing breakfast. I will connect into the system shortly and we can work on the design together._

_Sam._

Adastra tries to polish up the random commenting all over the design page to try and give it some sort of order. It would be an unfathomable mess to anyone else at the moment.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"You do know there is nothing stopping you two from going out while I get some work done."

"We would rather be fairly close just in case Sam."

"Fair enough." Sam saying to the back of the commandos as they walk over to the sofa to continue watching whatever it was before they went for breakfast. Sam and Amistathya go into the small office opposite the bathroom which had two consoles on a long worktop which extended the entire length of the room. Amistathya sat down nearest the door and she swivelled around on her chair to lock the door. "Why do I suddenly feel as if I am locked in here?" Sam commenting with a smile as he starts making a secure connection to Armali's servers on Illium.

"I feel more comfortable having a bit of control Sam. Especially so when I do not know as much as I would like."

"You keep saying that Ami. Would you be able to keep a connection fairly headache free if you are just learning information?"

"Your head may feel a little numb afterwards Sam. You want me to connect even though it is illegal?"

"And yet you do not sound shocked, or against the idea."

"I just wanted to be sure Sam."

"I have already gone against this law before so it is not like it is my first time. As long as the headache is minimal I am happy." Amistathya smiles.

"Ok then. Relax. Embrace eternity."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Amistathya walks through the door catching Sam's eye over the top edge of a book he is currently reading at his desk. The room gradually seeping into colour. "Could you tell me where all the important parts are Sam so this can be quicker?" Sam puts the book down on the desk.

"First isle, right hand side, fourth fifth and sixth sets of shelves are English language. Isle three right hand side fourteenth shelf, third row down has some language communication. Opposite side of the isle that entire set of shelves is human biology. What else would you like?"

"Some personal information would be nice along with some technology."

"Personal information is isle one right hand side first set of shelves top row left hand side. Technology is isle five, there is so much down there it would be faster if you could be more specific."

"Just generally Sam as you must remember I have had no formal education and my mother was not that good with technology."

"In that case the first five sets of shelves on the left of that isle would probably give you a broad understanding."

"I appreciate it Sam." Sam nods as he picks his book back up and begins to read it from where he left off. Amistathya works her way from isle one to isle five which seems to take a while as Sam manages to get through several chapters of his book before she reappears. "Your language is odd Sam. I also apologise but I got curious with the chemistry and physics sections. The latter was however useful for helping me to understand the technology information later."

"I know English is odd but at least it does not require such extreme precision in pronunciation even if the rules are nearly entirely flexible." Amistathya nods.

"I must leave before we get caught." Sam nods and watches Amistathya leave.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Well I think your extra digging around has made my head feel like it has been bruised a little."

"I apologise Sam but it was interesting. I also see that your species knows nothing about element zero."

"Indeed and unless it is on one of the neighbouring planets there is no way they are ever going to get FTL ships." Sam connects to Adastra inside of the network.

_'Hello Adastra. How is the design going? I apologise for being so lazy and not helping sooner.'_ Sam opens the document Adastra is currently working on to see where she is at.

_'Do you not have voice or video facilities at that end Sam?'_ Sam shakes his head. "I knew Adastra would ask why I am typing and not talking."

_'I knew you would ask Adastra. Sky blue is with me and we are half way through discussing things.'_ "Actually have you thought any more about last night Ami?" Sam talking while looking at Adastra's design and trying to understand it. _'Is this just a smaller standard electrolysis unit on the back?'_

"I have had a bit of a thought Sam. I think I have come up with something but could I ask about your suggestion."

_'Yes it is. It is difficult to think of anything better Sam.'_ Sam wondered if Adastra had a brain lapse.

"My suggestion was non-specific for a reason Ami but what is your question?" _'Adastra, rerouting the input feed around the plasma channel should allow you to superheat the water making it easier to split. Also the needed hydrogen and oxygen tanks would be a useful buffer given the output is going to be very uneven.'_

"If it is private then I have no issue with being naked Sam. So is this something for public wear or not?"

"Oh you mean private as between the two of us." Amistathya nods. "Hmmm. How about three different designs, private, private but you could wear in public if pushed and public. Do you think that is an idea?"

_'Where would you put the storage tanks without making the design bigger Sam?' _

"Sam I would prefer to stick to my normal clothes in public."

"Why do I get the feeling you already have an idea for something private?" Sam turns to Amistathya, forgetting about the console for the moment.

"Actually Sam I have an idea for the uncomfortable middle one. I have had the idea in my head for many years but I could never bring myself to get it let alone wear it. I could make it so that I felt more comfortable but I think it would miss something. I am also not sure it really expresses anything, I just like the idea."

"I have a hypothetical question Ami. If you had to go to a packed bar and that item of clothing was the only thing you had, would you wear it?"

"You mean that or wear nothing?" Sam nods. "Of course I would wear it. You know my feelings on being naked."

"It sounds interesting to me. Have you thought of your own expression?" Sam seems to have an idea so he swings back to the console. _'Why does the outer casing need to be round? Make it square and use the four gaps in each of the corners for the gas storage tanks. If you really hate pointy edges then round the edges of the square around the cylindrical tanks body.'_

"I would like your permission to modify our contract." Sam pricked his ears up at that.

"I have two requests then. That you remove the clause which says I cannot ask about your past and you tell me what you wish to add." Amistathya looks unsure. "I said I am this week trying my hardest not to say no to anything you suggest Ami."

_'This design is packing an awful lot of high pressure, high heat items into a very small space Sam. Are you sure about this?'_

"I wish to create a clause making you call me Ami. I am really growing fond of it and I would like you to use it more often."

"Can I ask Adastra's opinion at least to see what the reaction back home may be?" Amistathya nods with a broad smile on her face. _'Yes I am sure Adastra. I am sure the simulator can work out if it is a problem to be bothered with or not. Also I need to ask what your personal opinion is on shortening people's names?'_

_'This is not between you and your friend is it?'_

_'She is perfectly happy and actually encouraging me to do it. I was wondering how well that would go down as I have already had my security have a go at me.' _

_'I actually think the other one would find it ok. I think I can let you off since you are not on Illium when asking this. I have no idea about the other two. I will ask over lunch as I must go and meet them.' _"Was that the most extreme idea you could come up with?"

"No Sam. It was however the most extreme one I thought you would say yes to without much issue. I am however still thinking about the clothing design and wondering how you will react."

"I would only be upset if you deface your markings. Trust that I will be happy with anything you are."

"I am glad to hear that. What did Adastra say?"

"That she was going to lunch and she would ask them what they thought."

"Do you think we should find some food as well?" Sam nods and the two of them leave the office to grab something.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra walks up to the other three sitting at a table underneath one of the decorative trees, placing her tray of food down at the empty space. "Sorry I am a little late. I got talking to Sam."

"How is he?" Kate seemingly liking the food that was previously considered off limits considering half had gone already.

"He seems to be getting on with Amistathya very well Kate. Actually that would be the reason why I am late."

"Is this something we all need to know about?" Seliha keen to know more.

"Well he was wondering how comfortable people would be with Sam shortening Amistathya's name."

"Just no Adastra. I can live with her being in a servitude contract as Sam is a kind individual but I draw the line at shortening names." Fosanta getting a touch of Kate about her.

"What do you think Kate?"

"Well considering my full name is Katherine then I have absolutely no issue with it. Shortened names in our species tends to be personal preference or between friends." Fosanta looks slightly shocked at that revelation.

"What about you Seliha?"

"I might be a little hypocritical but as long as no one shortens my name then I see no issue with it." Seliha sticking to Adastra's prediction.

"What do you think Adastra?"

"I side with you Fosanta but there is an interesting twist. It is Amistathya who is encouraging Sam to shorten it not Sam wanting to." Fosanta was about to speak but Adastra put up her hand to stop her. "I think it would be best if you have a problem to message Sam himself. I really need to get back to work. I will speak to you all later." Adastra and Seliha move from the table.

"Why do I feel I am just going to have to accept this?"

"Now you know how I felt about Sam bringing her back as a servant. I think Sam is just being nice by asking for our opinions however as it is really a private thing between the two of them."

"You have a point Kate but I am still not keen. The fact I have been shortening your name all this time makes me feel rather uneasy though."

"I think it more proves how silly the concept is. If you never know the persons proper name you would not know you are shortening it."

"I will message Sam to say I am uncomfortable with it but if Amistathya is happy with it then it is ok."

"I appreciate you being reasonable Fosanta." Kate gives Fosanta a quick hug before getting up. "I will talk to you later." Fosanta nods and watches Kate leave before opening her Omni-tool and composing a message.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam walks back into the office after a short lunch followed by Amistathya. "Would you like me to try and smooth the issue over with Hymara and Lianta Sam?"

"I would most appreciate that as I think they see it as me taking advantage of you being shy and quiet." Amistathya nods and walks out of the office leaving Sam to make some changes to the design while Adastra is away.

"Could I have a talk to you two?" Amistathya really not sounding confident in herself.

"Of course. What do you wish to talk about?" Lianta looking up to Amistathya from reading something on her omni-tool.

"I have asked Sam to call me Ami and I would like both of you to please accept this. If anyone else calls me Ami I will be unhappy."

"He is not forcing you is he Amistathya?" Hymara keeping her voice down in case Sam has the office door open.

"No I am more forcing him Hymara. I have proposed to change the contract when we get back to Illium to ensure it happens." Lianta looks a little astounded by the fact that she not only wants this but is forcing the issue.

"Could I ask why you have no problem with this?"

"My parents used to call me Athya in our home so I have probably been called Athya just as much as Amistathya. I suppose I have never been around anyone who has seen it as a problem. You are both free to call me Athya if you wish."

"I think we will have to decline that offer. So Sam gets to call you a different name to everyone else?"

"Yes Lianta as I would find being called flower by anyone else inappropriate."

"I do not blame you if that is what it translates to. I am happy with it as it seems no one is getting hurt." Hymara looking to Lianta.

"I thought it was Sam's idea and you were being forced into accepting it." She pauses to think for a second. "As long as I can still call you Amistathya then I am ok with it all."

"Thank you both." The two of them nod as Amistathya smiles before walking back to the office.

_'I am back from lunch Sam. Fosanta did not seem too impressed about your plans but everyone else is ok it seems. What have you changed on this design?'_

_'Your routing of the water pipes looked very nice but it was an inefficient way of doing it. Also it is better to have the cold water entering the top as heat rises.'_ Sam turns to Amistathya. "How did it go?"

"They were a little reluctant but relented which I expected to be fair. I asked as well if they wanted to call me Athya but they turned it down."

"Would you be ok if I said that others in our house could call you Athya? I think Kate would take up the offer."

"Yes I am happy enough with that. If any of them call me Ami though I will get annoyed."

"I will make that clear." Sam looks back to the console screen to see a new message notification.

_Sam,_

_Adastra told us over lunch what you plan to do. I feel resigned to agreeing as everyone else seems to have little or no problem and it is not really my problem to be bothered about. If you could give me some reassurance she is happy when you return I would be grateful._

_Fosanta._

"Well it seems everyone in the house is fairly ok with this idea as well."

"I am happy for you Sam as I know I would not be the one getting the abuse."

Sam spends the rest of the afternoon helping Adastra with the water feed design and manage to somehow break the design according to the simulator. They decide to get to the bottom of it tomorrow as it is not like they have the actual thruster design yet to complete the full package.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

A quiet had settled over the table at the evening meal as no one really had much to talk about. An Omni-tool beep seems to wake everyone up. "Are you going to read it Kate?" Kate half way through shovelling more food in. She puts the fork down on the plate and reads the message.

_Kate,_

_The plan at the moment is to arrive back sometime on Saturday. Sky blue has stated she would be happy for you or anyone else in the house to call her by her last five letters if you wish to. She understands Asari is not easy and would rather that than pronouncing her name wrong._

_Sam_

"Sam and Athya will be coming back sometime on Saturday. Before anyone says anything she has given us all permission to call her that if we wish to."

"Just because we have permission does not mean we should Kate."

"No but it means we have a choice and I felt like I must deliberately avoid saying her name so as not to insult her if I got it wrong. I appreciate having a simpler alternative Fosanta. I also think Athya sounds a little friendlier than Amistathya."

"I might use Athya in the house and Amistathya everywhere else."

"I might do the same as Seliha after having a talk to her or even Hymara or Lianta." Adastra voicing her thoughts.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam and Amistathya were just drying off after having an early shower. "Could I ask if your Omni-tool has a 3d scanner Sam?"

"Bit of a random question. I will have a look." Sam picks up his Omni-tool and goes through the various options and does indeed find a 3d scanning function. "You really have to like engineering Omni-tools and they have a 3d scanning function as well."

"I have two questions to ask Sam. The first is can I have an hour or two on my own in the office tonight?"

"I cannot see why not Ami. Can you tell me what this is about?"

"I would like to design the clothing so we could pick it up late Thursday on Thessia. I need a 3d model of my body though and I am not willing to strip in a custom design shop."

"Oh I get it." Sam loads up the program and makes four different models of Ami in different poses which she can use for the design. "So you know what material you want and everything already?" Amistathya wasting no time in putting her clothes on.

"I am giving away nothing Sam." The sly smile on her face making Sam laugh.

"Are you still going with the single design Ami or the multiple?"

"I was thinking more than one Sam. You will find out on Friday."

"I would recommend you getting on with it and not teasing me Ami." Sam putting his t-shirt on and walking to the door. The two of them go into the office opposite where Sam loads the 3d models from his Omni-tool to the console before leaving Amistathya to get on with whatever she wants. Sam walks out and watches the door lock before heading to the sofa.

"Was the shower that bad Sam?" Hymara noting a lack of an Asari following him.

"No Hymara, Ami just wanted some time this evening to do something which she would like to keep as a bit of a secret." The three of them hear a knock at the door.

"I will get it." Hymara getting up and walking to the door. "I am surprised you are here so late Sha'ira. Come in."

"I do apologise for it being late but I need to discuss a few things." The two of them walk back to the sofa. "Is Amistathya around Sam?"

"She is busy in the office doing some work. Do you need her?"

"Not for the moment as I believe you wanted to see me tomorrow."

"Is there a way to suggest making first contact with the humans on the galactics terms rather than when they stumble into everyone. I say this because as soon as they start colonising they will probably go very military heavy and there will be losses on both sides if any miscommunication occurs."

"Why do you think this is the case Sam?"

"Humans tend to defend what they own strongly. If you travel in with several ships after an expansion and they see you they will likely think of you as hostile before friendly. A single miscommunication in this tense stand-off period will mean a lot of problems. If first contact is made before the stand off can even occur then everyone will be better off."

"That makes a bit of sense but Shiala said they would not get FTL travel for three hundred years."

"It will be fifty years tops from finding element zero to finding what it is capable of to having a space ship built. It will probably not be much more than a hundred before mass colonisation begins. If they find some on a neighbouring planet in say fifty years then that would over halve Shiala's estimate. I am only saying you could observe their activities better if you already had ties with them."

"Do you know what the estimated time to explore the neighbouring planets is?"

"Well the joint space agencies were thinking about fifteen to twenty years for the closest one Sha'ira."

"Interesting. I will give your recommendation to the council."

"I greatly appreciate that."

"No problem Sam. Please remember I have no influence on important decisions such as this as it is a tricky balancing act." Sam nods knowing that sounds about right. "Anyway, the reason I came was one of the journalists has found out you are planning to head to Thessia."

"I have no idea how as..." Sam tries to think back. "Great, they may have been able to deduce it from our talking in the restaurant. Should I get Ami as this sounds like something she should know too?" Sha'ira nods with a smile. Sam gets up and walks to the office door. "Ami, could we tear you away from the console for five minutes as Sha'ira is here with some news?" Sam waits for an answer over the intercom but instead she opens the door.

"No peaking Sam." She waves Sam to walk in front of her so she is between Sam and the office. "I am guessing this is important Sha'ira?"

"It is Amistathya. How is the bruise?"

"It is a little sore today but it is already getting better."

"I am pleased to hear that. The reason I am here is that I know you were due to drop in on Thessia on the way back to Illium. I would highly recommend not doing so and going back to Illium. An Armali personnel shuttle is due to depart for Illium tomorrow morning and I would recommend taking it, not only because there is likely to be no media but the fact there will be no real security risk."

"Why is there an Armali ship on the Citadel?"

"There was a conference on bio-amp design yesterday and today Amistathya. Both Serrice and Armali attended along with some representatives from Armax. Since Armali are refitting most of their bio-amp development labs on Thessia, the representatives who were at the conference are going to Illium."

"It may have been interesting to sit in on that conference."

"You would not have seen anything exciting Sam. Serrice use the event to find clients and Armali use it to promote their advanced manufacturing design. Armax are the only interesting ones as they describe their previous years design in detail before announcing their new design."

"I am guessing you have been before then Lianta?"

"No I have read enough news articles on it to work out the pattern." Sam laughs a little.

"Back to the discussion. I do not think skipping Thessia messes with any plans really."

"What about the items Sam?"

"You said Thursday Ami?" She nods. "Armali have a parts freighter for propulsion that leaves Thessia on Thursday evening, if I remember reading the schedule correctly. If there was some way to get it onto the ship we could have it by Friday morning on Illium."

"I might be able to help you there Sam as Talima is currently on Thessia for a while. If you can pass on what to collect and where from I am sure it can be on-board that freighter."

"Would that be suitable Ami?" Sam hoping it was.

"Yes. Thank you Sha'ira."

"I do apologise for this journalist problem as the Citadel usually is not this bad for anyone. I must leave to sort out a couple of things. The ship is to leave early tomorrow morning and should arrive late Wednesday. If you ask Dastana she will show you a side exit out of the hotel to get you past the journalists. I will message you the dock number and the time the shuttle is to leave later. I hope you all sleep well." The three Asari nod.

"I am a bit confused but I hope you do too Sha'ira." Sha'ira nods with a smile before turning and leaving. "I think I get why she recommended not going to Thessia. It still seems confusing though." Amistathya goes back to the office.

"She knows if the journalists know then so does anyone who would want to kill you. Take the jealous journalists for example or anyone you may have annoyed."

"I would actually be rather honoured if the councillor decided to try and kill me. I get your point though Lianta."

"I am guessing all this was not quite what you expected then Sam?" Hymara looking at the screen while speaking.

"It never seems to be straight forward and simple when it comes to the Citadel Hymara. That and the reason we even came in the first place has turned out to be pointless. I think Ami has got something out of it though."

"Are you sure you have not Sam?" A slight smile on her face.

"If you count showers then yes Hymara. In all honesty though, Ami this afternoon has seemed a little strange to me."

"Strange in what way Sam?" Hymara confused.

"You know when people say they might be a bit cold until you get to know them?" Hymara nods to the screen. "The more you know about Ami the friendlier she gets yes, but this afternoon she has felt a bit cold." Sam feels a tap on his shoulder. He is a little startled when he turns around and sees Amistathya standing there. "Please do not scare me. How long have you been there?"

"I finished a couple of minutes ago Sam. I am rather interested in hearing more about this as I thought something may happen."

"You were expecting something?"

"I will explain in the bedroom Sam."

"Night you two." Sam just gets a nod from both of them before he follows Ami. He locks the door after entering the room and Ami sits on the bed.

"I cannot tell you why I expected something as you will probably leave and I love you Sam."

"Ami I have no evidence of this but are you messing with my mind?"

"Would you be angry at me if I was?" Amistathya hoping the answer was no, a scared nervousness obvious in her body language. Sam sits down on the bed.

"I do not know what to feel Ami. I do not know what you have done or whether it was for my benefit or not. It is very confusing and it is not too comfortable."

"Does it just seem like the air around me is a little cooler?"

"Yes but could you tell me what you have done at least as it is rather unnerving."

"I wanted to see if I could change how you perceived me. It was a bit of a wild idea but I thought it might help with you learning to cope with my memories."

"Would you kindly change it back Ami as it is really not right."

"I thought it was a good example of my dark streak as well." Sam sighs with a smile. "Thinking about that, I could also say no to you and you would have to wait until we got back to Illium."

"That is really mean Ami."

"It is not as mean as me manipulating you to meld with me again but this time conceiving a child. I did rule that idea as something you would definitely have been against." Sam almost does a double take when he realises what Amistathya had just said.

"Hold on Ami. You were even considering it?" Sam seemed unsure how to take that unexpected revelation.

"It was an idea that passed my mind... a few times." Sam shakes his head.

"A week Ami. I know having someone you like and likes you is a novel concept for you. I however think you need to slow down a little, and by a little I mean quite a lot." Sam tentatively shuffles closer to Amistathya and puts an arm around her. "I would really like to get to know you properly first before you do so. I mean I do not even know your fathers species for example."

"Salarian Sam. He died just before I was starting secondary school. I am also conscious humans do not live long either and I would not want what happened to me happening to a daughter of mine."

"There should be at least forty years of decently active life in me yet Ami. I am sure time to become comfortable melding and get to know you better would not impact that too much."

"You have a point Sam. Also it would be a little wrong to conceive while I am in indentured servitude."

"It would but it does give us time to settle down and make some plans which I like the sound of." Sam gives Amistathya a short kiss before stripping off and getting into bed. "We have a busy day tomorrow of sitting on a ship doing nothing, I think it is best we get some sleep." Amistathya removes her clothes and joins Sam.

"I think..." Sam's Omni-tool goes off again. "Can you put that on mute?" Sam smiles as Amistathya shakes her head. He reaches over for his Omni-tool and opens the message.

_Sam,_

_I apologise again for being unable to help you. 7am dock 311._

_Holana_

Sam gets back in bed. "Seven tomorrow morning. So an early start and before you ask it is on mute. Oh and I see what you did earlier with the child comment. Can you please put my mind back how you found it Ami." Amistathya shuffles across and gives him a hug.

"Sleep well Sam."

"Please Ami, it will only take a few seconds and it makes me feel a little uncomfortable." Amistathya moves back to her own side.

"Only if I can do a full meld and you move the second block of memories out that Holana has probably grouped."

"Now that is truly mean." Sam takes a breath thinking that he does need to get used to them eventually. "I very reluctantly agree Ami." Sam closes his eyes and prepares.

"Embrace eternity." Amistathya only maintains the meld for a few seconds before she has finished. Sam was seemingly better at least in the fact that he did not seem in as much pain. She shuffles across to give Sam a hug for comfort which he seemed to appreciate. It does not seem too long before the recessed memory closes and he gains some normality back.

"Now I have a headache. Do you feel proud of yourself now?"

"No Sam but you do need to get used to them. I do apologise for putting you in a difficult position Sam. I hope you sleep well."

"I do not think I could stay annoyed for long. I hope you sleep ok as well Ami." She nods to Sam with a smile before they turn the lights off.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**Working at Armali is only so interesting hence why the story is following Sam and Amistathya more closely than the others. **

**It is still a good view when I get to see hundreds of hits each weekend. Much appreciation goes out to everyone who is still reading. Plenty more good stuff to come yet. Next update will be on the 30th June.**


	35. Chapter 35 : Travelling

**Chapter 35 - Travelling**

* * *

><p><strong>Wednesday 1st February 2017<strong>

Sam was awoken from his first decent spell of sleep by Amistathya suddenly putting her arms around him. "Bad dream?" Sam half registering Amistathya holding him a little tighter than usual. "Would you like to explain?"

"Please do not leave?" Sam thought that was a bit odd but decided to be a bit mean back after last night.

"Why not?"

"I deeply apologise for being so mean last night, even I think it was excessive. Please do not leave Sam."

"Will you agree to in the future put anything you mess with back if I ask?"

"Yes Sam." Amistathya shuffles back a little to see Sam. "You do not have a problem with me messing with your mind?"

"As long as when I ask you to change something back you do so promptly and without being mean then not really Ami. I would really prefer that you did not but I think that could be asking too much."

"So you will not leave me for what I did?"

"No Ami it was just a bad dream." Amistathya gives Sam a short kiss before a hug.

"Thank you Sam. I was so frightened that you may have left me after I had tampered with your mind without asking you. I must be honest with you and say that I have done something each time we have connected or melded. It is a defensive thing I do to make sure no one hurts me. I apologise again."

"Can you promise me anything you change or have changed will not harm me?"

"Yes Sam. While I can be mean, a little defensive and not quite what you expect I could never cause you long term problems."

"Hold on. I have just remembered something. You said you had an idea of manipulating me to meld with you, and then did so shortly after. You did not did not do so did you?"

"Would you be angry at me?" Sam looks shocked as Amistathya was unable to keep a straight face. "No Sam. While it was tempting I want that meld to be more memorable."

"Do you find teasing and being mean is fun?" Sam breathing a sigh of relief.

"Yes Sam." Sam shakes his head and laughs before looking at the time.

"Great I have had probably three hours sleep and it is about time to get up."

"I apologise for waking you Sam but I was really convinced you would leave me after what I did."

"I am going to wait to see what Kate's reaction is when she eventually finds out. Anyway breakfast then ship, then fourteen hours then home." Sam gets out of bed and Amisathya does the same. "Your bruise looks better this morning Ami." She looks down at it before gingerly running her finger over it.

"It is still sore but it is looking quite a bit better." The two of them get dressed before going to grab some breakfast.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Morning everyone." Adastra walking in to the kitchen looking still half asleep. Her Omni-tool giving her an indication of a message.

_Adastra,_

_I will be unable to help you today as something has appeared. Should be back on Illium earlier than planned as we have had to move our plans forward._

_Sam_

"I think that is the least informative message ever."

"What did Sam have to say?"

"That they will be back earlier than planned. That is it Fosanta. No explanation or hint or anything."

"Perhaps the journalists have worked out their plan and they wish to avoid them."

"What have they done though Seliha to be followed so closely? We have not had any sort of problem in Nos Astra."

"I am sure Sam will say when he gets back, whenever that may be." Adastra settling down with everyone else to get breakfast before going to work.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The four of them had taken the side exit out of the hotel and avoided the mass of journalists that Dastana said were waiting at the front door. After a stop at a small shop to get some snacks and drinks for the shuttle they made their way to dock three one one. "Well this turned out to be a nice trip. It is a pity we were hounded as I might have enjoyed a meal somewhere."

"We can always do something on Illium Sam." Amistathya staying positive.

"It does not feel a little special though. What dock are we at now Hymara?"

"Three zero eight Sam. Are you that bothered about walking?"

"I did not get a great amount of sleep last night. It was sky blue's fault and not in that way." Sam even though he was lacking sleep noticed that assumption a mile off.

"I will not ask Sam." Lianta overhearing the conversation from behind. The four of them approach the shuttle in dock three one one with fifteen minutes before departure to find an unknown Asari at the door.

"This is a private shuttle. If you would kindly leave it would be appreciated."

"My apologies I am sure you know who I am and I was told that this shuttle is Armali Council's going to Illium."

"I do know who you are Sam but as I stated it is a private shuttle."

"I wonder if Usarta would help us out here." Sam talking to Hymara but easily loud enough for the Asari to hear.

"Wait, you know Usarta?"

"Of course I do considering I work at Armali propulsion on Illium. I am really surprised you do not know this."

"I have only ever worked at the Thessian facility. This will be my first time at the Illium facility. I will have to confirm this but even so I doubt the rest of you will be allowed." Sam opens his Omni-tool and creates a message as the Asari seems to do the same.

_Usarta,_

_I really thought this week would have been quiet and peaceful but it has been anything but as the journalists are being a pain. I have been informed there is an Armali shuttle leaving for Illium this morning and would really appreciate getting away from here as it is not pleasant. The Asari at the airlock does not even know I work at Armali._

_Appreciate any help you can give._

_Sam _

"Let us see what happens. Actually I could do with having a talk with her tomorrow actually. Are you the pilot as I have not seen anyone else arrive and are you not meant to be leaving at seven?"

"Yes to both." She seems a little anxious before her Omni-tool beeps and she quickly reads the message. "Well it seems the delegates needed to go back to Thessia and got a shuttle with the Serrice Council."

"So an empty shuttle to Illium?" Sam was wondering if she would take the hint.

"Unless I get a message in the next five minutes, it is." Sam was starting to think what side of the bed she had got out of this morning as she seemed more irritable than he did.

"Can either of you three fly a shuttle?" Sam got three shaking heads. "And there was me thinking there was a way to work around the red tape." The Asari seemed a little agitated by that comment but kept quiet. Sam's Omni-tool beeps.

_Sam,_

_That shuttle should not even be there as we knew our delegates were sharing a shuttle back to Thessia. If your group can make it less of a wasted journey then you can use it. I will message the pilot to inform her of this. I am going to have to ask some questions as to how this mix up ever occurred as it is rather strange._

_Usarta_

Sam cannot help but start laughing. "That is the best thing I have read in quite a while. I will tell you three when we get back to Illium."

"It was not was it?" Lianta seemingly having an idea what Sam could be laughing about. Sam just nods as Lianta gets a slight smile.

"Sam, what is funny?" Amistathya feeling a little left out as Lianta whispers to Hymara who has a bit of a laugh.

"It think it was unknown who scheduled the shuttle to be here Ami." Sam speaking in English hoping she had picked it up well enough to understand. The smile on her face said she had.

"What did you say and what is so funny?" The Asari feeling a little left out.

"You will not be pleased if you find out." The Asari gives them all a suspicious look which was quickly broken by an incoming message.

"It seems I am taking you four back to Illium." She does not sound overly thrilled by the prospect. She opens the ships outer door and gestures them all in. Sam noted once they had got inside that it was basically the same as their private shuttles just for sixteen people instead of twelve. The unnamed Asari went to the pilot's seat as everyone else took a seat.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"It was a bit mean of me to wait until this morning to tell Adastra I would be unable to help her today."

"I am sure she will be fine for a day Sam." Lianta cutting his ramble off before it had properly begun.

"I was trying to make a conversation as I do not have games on my Omni-tool. Remember what I was like just wasting time in the clinic?"

"Please do not remind us." Sam points to the pilot's seat.

"I got so bored I even drank Amistathya's urine just to see what it tasted like."

"Please could you keep comments like that private?" Sam quietly laughing to himself.

"It is not making you uneasy is it?"

"The concept is revolting. Do the rest of you not think so?"

"It is not appealing but sometimes it is necessary." Hymara seemingly being honest more than playing to Sam's joke.

"I cannot believe I let you all on-board."

"We trusted someone who we do not even know the name of." Sam was thinking it was she gives her name and comes to talk or making her uncomfortable continues.

"I do not give my name to passengers after, an incident, a few years ago."

"Could I ask what kind of incident?" Lianta more on the ball than Sam.

"I am officially not allowed to say."

"Well I am guessing it was related to Armali thinking it was you that did something rather than someone else."

"Something like that Sam."

"Does this ship have cameras?"

"As far as I am aware it only has a tracking sensor to know where it is."

"I will make a deal. If you tell us your name and have a talk I will stop deliberately making you uncomfortable." The Asari gets up off the pilots chair and moves down the ship to the seating.

"I will talk but I will not give you my name."

"Well you know who I am. Hymara, Lianta and Amistathya." Sam pointing out the commandos and putting his arm around Amistathya. The unknown Asari nods in greeting. "What is it you do at Armali?"

"I am a bioamp specialist. I occasionally get asked to fly personnel shuttles as well." Sam actually realised something given he has now had a second closer look at the Asari.

"Please in no way be offended by my next question but was your father an Asari?" She begins to stand showing nothing. "Please could you sit back down? I in no way wish to insult or berate you. I know that Asari tend not to be too keen on those individuals who have Asari parents but I cannot understand why." She looks to Amistathya.

"I have no problem at all with that as my mother had an Asari father." She looks to the commandos.

"You are no different to the rest of us." Hymara nods in agreement to Lianta's statement.

"How did you know Sam?" The Asari sitting back down a little away from the commandos opposite Sam and Amistathya.

"The fact you have very few markings and blue eyes. That and you seem quite tough but I do not think you are given how you reacted to my urine comment."

"You really did that?"

"It was not because I was bored but yes."

"Do you assemble thrusters then Sam?" The Asari seemingly wanting to get off that subject quickly.

"No I design them, although I have only worked one full day since my contract started a week and a half ago." The Asari looks puzzled. "I think my contract has an unwritten clause in it for charitable work."

"Armali tend to be fairly sympathetic about that. I hope you do not mind me asking but how did you two meet? I only ask as you were not a crew member of the ship that brought Sam back, if I remember correctly."

"You do. No I met Amistathya last week on Thessia doing said charity work. She is a bit of a handful but such an interesting individual."

"So are you two?"

"Good friends." Sam looking to Amistathya

"I do not believe you Sam."

"Sorry that is the best answer I can give you as it is a little complicated." Sam thinking that is a bit of a lie but he definitely does not want others finding out about Amistathya yet.

"Could I ask what Adastra is like as I know of her reputation but according the news articles you seemed to get on together?"

"As long as you are friendly and you do not threaten her or treat her differently then she is a very pleasant individual. If you are very lucky and friendly you may get the opportunity to see her markings. You two have not seen them have you?" Hymara and Lianta shake their heads. "I like the chaotic nature of them. Anyway I am ranting and I have to be careful not to say too much." Sam yawns.

"Tired?"

"Yes. I did not sleep well last night. You really will not tell us your name?" The Asari sighs.

"I should not but my name is Whesiva Sam."

"It is good to finally know who I am talking to."

"Could I ask what it was like for you at school Whesiva?" Amistathya seeing an opportunity to go digging.

"It is not that people hate you but the degrading remarks made it difficult. I was happy when I did not have to go back. No doubt you enjoyed school, most individuals do."

"I never went to secondary school." Whesiva seems a little shocked at that.

"I thought secondary education is mandatory?" Amistathya keeps quiet. Whesiva turns to Lianta.

"It is. I honestly have no idea what happened Whesiva."

"Does that not cause problems for employment?"

"It does."

"What do you do now then?" Amistathya looks to Sam

"Strictly speaking she is my indentured servant Whesiva." She gives Sam a confused look. "You look a little puzzled at that Whesiva?"

"I am wondering why a charity would release her into indentured servitude."

"Ami could you tell our new friend how much different you feel from me first meeting you to now."

"I have gone from thinking I do not belong in this universe to seeing the Citadel for the first time and feeling happy."

"By do not belong I mean she was in a padded room Whesiva. I am sure you can guess why."

"Maybe I was wrong then."

"No you were right. I would not have let it happen either but it was Ami's idea and she insisted. She felt she would feel happier with this arrangement and I could see why. It gives her the security of knowing she has one person she can always go to for help."

"I never thought of it like that Sam. Have you done this kind of work before?"

"No as I can find one-to-one situations with unknown individuals awkward at times. I felt Ami was quite easy for me to understand so while it was difficult I do not think it was too bad. Oh I must stress, please do not call her Ami, she prefers Athya or Amistathya."

"I would prefer to call you Athya if you do not mind. I am not good with pronouncing most peoples names at the best of times. Why do you let Sam call you something different though Athya?"

"I am perfectly happy with Sam calling me Ami but I just do not want anyone else to do so." Whesiva nods.

"Could I ask if you are going to Nos Astra space port or Armali's facility?"

"Armali Sam as it is much more convenient than the space port."

"Good, it means I do not have to wake Adastra up to bring more security. I am half considering bedding down somewhere else and just randomly turning up at work tomorrow." Sam has a quick think "I think my own bed sounds much more inviting."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate and Fosanta walk towards a table that Adastra and Seliha had found next to the window. "Nice table."

"It is very difficult to get these tables. We were just very lucky." Seliha looking out of the window at a small selection of skyscrapers and various skycars and shuttles travelling past.

"Any news on Sam this morning?" Fosanta at least semi interested in what is happening.

"None Fosanta. All we know is what we were told yesterday that his plans have been moved forward and he will be back earlier than expected. It really means I have been able to do essentially nothing today as Sam's design seems ok but the simulator does not like it."

"Do you think tomorrow?"

"It depends how difficult the journalists were being Kate. I would assume they would all be on a ship back here tomorrow at the latest. I could really do with getting back to work as it is bioamp testing this Saturday." Fosanta gets up and leaves.

"So you two are testing your bioamps this weekend?" Seliha nods.

"I had forgotten about that. It will be you, Sam and Amistathya on your own then this Saturday."

"Peaceful day then."

"I am not that bad am I Kate?"

"No Adastra although you do tend to make your presence known. Anyway I have a meeting in ten minutes so I must leave. I will see you both later." Seliha and Adastra nod as Kate leaves to get back to work. It is not long before Adastra and Seliha leave the window table either. Them both being highly amused at the speed at which the vacant table gained new occupants.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"It is wonderful being on a ship for fourteen hours with nothing to do."

"Could I ask what was so amusing before we got on the shuttle?"

"Sorry that is something else I cannot really talk about Whesiva along with Adastra's markings and an awful lot about Ami. Why do I seem to come in contact with the most secretive of individuals?" Sam uttering the question more to himself.

"Your lack of sleep is starting to get to you Sam." Lianta looking over at a slightly pale faced human.

"It is. Sorry everyone. At least on the way to the Citadel I had a bed I could use. When is the next drop from FTL?"

"In about thirty minutes Sam."

"Usarta is going to be so annoyed at me."

"Why Sam?" Sam sighs as he clearly needs to give some answers.

"Well this shuttle should never have been on the Citadel to begin with. Then I need to ask if I can load something on tomorrow's parts freighter from Thessia to Illium. All this after only working one day and already requesting a silly amount of things for something."

"Things for something, or is that something else you cannot talk about."

"The only way you can keep anything secret is if you never talk. The best you can realistically manage is to make it as difficult as possible for people to find out. Unfortunately someone found out our plan for going to Thessia tomorrow hence why we had to leave for Illium today as it was too much of a security risk. You will find out what I requested soon I guess."

"So where do you all live?"

"Armali got the Enlighten crew and the security assigned to them houses outside of Nos Astra. I am guessing you will be in an apartment in the city Whesiva?"

"Yes, I cannot complain as Armali have said I am getting a two bedroom apartment so space will not be an issue." Whesiva gets up and takes the pilots seat.

"Could I ask how long you are on Illium for?"

"The usual placement time at an alternate facility is three months but can be as long as six. Why do you ask Sam?" Whesiva guessing who it was who was talking.

"If you can think of some way to show that I can trust you not to say something about something then I may tell you." Whesiva drops the shuttle out of FTL with the relay not far away. Sam gets no response so leaves it for Whesiva to get back to him as he starts creating messages.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate, Fosanta, Adastra and Seliha were just settling down for something to eat as Adastra gets a message.

_Adastra_

_Should be back on Illium soon, unfortunately I am unable to say when or where but it could well be early tomorrow morning. I apologise for not getting in touch earlier, it will be good to see you again._

_Sam_

"Seems Sam is on his way back from the Citadel. He says it might be early tomorrow morning before he arrives."

"How early is early?"

"No idea Kate. I can understand him wanting to keep what ship he is on ambiguous although I doubt there will be many passenger ships from the Citadel arriving between a few hours from now and early tomorrow morning."

"He might be up for helping you tomorrow Adastra."

"I would like that as the design is starting to annoy me now."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The shuttle jumps back into FTL as Whesiva gets up from the pilots chair and walks back to the passenger area. "Unfortunately Sam I do not think I can do anything to prove you can trust me."

"Could I ask what your honest opinion is on Asari who have markings Whesiva?"

"I have a fairly open mind Sam, probably because they would probably have had similar problems as I have had in the past." Sam was ready to drop no hints at all yet.

"What if the Asari openly said they were tattoos added after they finished school? Would that change your opinion?"

"Probably. I do not get why you are asking this?"

"I need to know how sympathetic you are to individuals who have various conditions or medical issues Whesiva."

"I honestly do not think I have met someone with any major medical conditions."

"I bet you have met some individuals with potentially serious medical conditions Whesiva but that is not the point. I am sure since you have seemingly been on Thessia a lot that you have heard of galactic acceptance."

"That is the charity people can go to for various help."

"Yes, that was where I was last week."

"Wait. You have serious medical conditions Athya?" She moves a little closer to Sam.

"Yes Whesiva but she dislikes me telling anyone what they are. Anyway the stuff I requested off Usarta is for a charity event on Illium. I know it is not a condition or a medical issue but I was wondering if you would be interested in trying to make a case for people to treat Asari with an Asari father better."

"Well that was unexpected Sam. Would it be the best idea for you to show... purebloods, alongside other medical conditions?"

"It is up to you Whesiva. I intended this to show people that everyone is essentially the same whether they have an Asari father, markings on their body, four fingers on their hands or a strange skin colour for just a few made up examples. Of course secondarily I would like it to raise a decent amount of funding for the charity and for everyone to have a good time but I want that message to be what gets through."

"I actually appreciate you trying to do this Sam but I am not sure what I could do to help."

"Neither do I as I have no idea what is happening as this is still only an idea really. All I know is that it will be sometime in the first week of May at a large venue."

"How big are we talking Sam?"

"How big are you thinking it will be?"

"Ten thousand?" Sam smiles.

"That would be what I would call a good start. No my conservative estimate put it at a hundred and twenty five thousand easily." Whesiva seems a little shocked.

"That is certainly ambitious."

"It is and I need individuals who would happily either participate in some way or help with the event. If you would be happy to do so then I will arrange something nearer the time with you."

"I am not going to stand in front of that many people Sam."

"I know and understand that, perhaps a pre-recorded video piece or something. I am not sure yet but does that sound like a better idea?"

"I think I could do that Sam."

"I will try to see if I can get some more details sorted out over the weekend. It is quite likely to be March sometime before we would need you to do anything if you wished to."

"That sounds ok as I should have settled in well by then and be on top of my work. So what is it you are getting off Armali for the event?"

"Ten large plasma thrusters. Standard speakers would have worked but they would have been more of a pain."

"You can use plasma thrusters as speakers?"

"Theoretically yes, practically I have no idea Whesiva. I am sure we will have to find out before March."

"Whesiva, you asked about my medical conditions. One is that I cannot taste anything." Amistathya making a seemingly rare contribution.

"I cannot even comprehend that Athya."

"She said to me everything just tastes like water of various textures and viscosity. That certainly made it easier for me to understand what it is like. It must be depressing but we must concentrate on what we have not what we do not." Whesiva nods.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Usarta checks her messages after a busy after hours meeting to notice only three new ones. She worked her way methodically down the list until she finally got around to reading Sam's.

_Usarta,_

_I am sure you are annoyed at me always messaging or asking for various things. I deeply apologise but given our plan change we are no longer going to Thessia. We have something there that we would like on Illium and I was wondering if we could use what Seliha did to get to Illium a couple of weeks ago?_

_I understand if it is not an acceptable use and we should find a different way. I was just wondering if it was possible._

_Sorry for annoying you._

_Sam_

Usarta sat back in her chair, shaking her head a smile on her face. She composed a quick message to Sam before heading home for the night.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The shuttle drops out of FTL to make the final jump to Illium. Within seconds Sam gets a message.

_Sam_

_As long as I can check that it is not full then it is fine. You can use tomorrow's run if you wish but whatever you want needs to be at Armali by four._

_Usarta_

"Oh nic...e. I really hate jumping at times. Yes we can abuse the parts freighter from Thessia as long as the items are at Armali by four."

"All I need is to send the message."

"I will give you our contacts address tomorrow morning after a sleep. Also could I ask why you are not sat properly Ami?"

"My apologies." Amistathya folding her arms behind her.

"Thirty minutes until we dock." Whesiva saying from the pilot's chair. "Are you being mean to Athya Sam?"

"No Whesiva. Should I see whether Fosanta or Adastra would pick us up?" Sam looking towards Hymara and Lianta

"It may be an idea as getting a shuttle from Armali at this time of night would take a while." Sam nods to Lianta and opens up his Omni-tool.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The four of them are sat around a console upstairs a new message notification breaks the immersion of what they are watching. "Who would message us at this time of night?" Fosanta getting up to see who it is.

_Sorry to annoy you at this time of night. We are on approach to Illium, arrival in about twenty minutes at Armali. If someone could pick us up it would be most appreciated if not then message me back and we will sort out something else._

_Sam_

"Oh Sam is arriving in twenty minutes at Armali. Why Armali and not the space port I have no idea. He was wondering if one of us would like to collect him."

"Actually Fosanta, could we go? It would allow you to ask Athya about the name thing and it would be something different." Fosanta looks towards Adastra who shrugs.

"Ok Kate. We will be back in a few minutes." Fosanta walking down the steps as she types a reply.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I can see bed from here." Sam looking out of the window at Nos Astra which is still a fairly small splodge on the surface of Illium.

"You have to be kidding Sam?"

"I am but the prospect of sleep is a nice one Hymara." Sam looks at the message he has just received.

"Oh interesting. The one who dislikes me for Ami being a servant and the one who seems to have something against shortening names is picking us up. This could be a tiring trip back."

"Are they that bad Sam?"

"No Whesiva they are very nice individuals, they just have strong opinions on certain things."

The shuttle lands in the Armali parking area reserved for larger personnel transport shuttles. "At least there seems to be plenty of shuttle parking here. On Thessia it is quite a pain."

"Perhaps but I did not see a lift there."

"Sam I know you are tired but please do not say anything more about them." Hymara finishing the rant Sam was about to go on. The five of them get out with their bags.

"How are you getting to your apartment Whesiva?"

"Probably a skycar Sam."

"At least come and say hello to Kate and Fosanta." Sam gets a message. "They are on level twenty four. I will not comment Hymara." Hymara smiles.

"I may as well as I am guessing the skycars leave from a lower level?"

"Yes, five Whesiva." She nods to Sam as they all get in for the ride down to the level Fosanta and Kate are waiting on. It takes three and a half minutes for them to descend the twenty three floors. The doors open with Kate and Fosanta waiting for them. "It is good to be back. How are you two?" Sam resisting the urge to laugh for the moment.

"You look very tired Sam?" Kate making the first comment. Sam tries hard to resist saying anything yet.

"Thank the three hours of sleep and the fourteen hour journey. I think I am slightly delirious, anyway this is Whesiva. She is the individual who flew us here and will also be staying on Illium for a while."

"It is good to meet you, I am Fosanta. Are you one of these people who have got displaced by the biotics refit?"

"Yes Fosanta. I have an apartment waiting for me in Nos Astra somewhere."

"I am Kate. It is always good to see another friendly face." Whesiva nods with a slight smile.

"I know it is a bit out of our way but we could drop you off in Nos Astra as you will probably be waiting a while for a skycar."

"I would greatly appreciate that. It is nice since it is my first stay on Illium." The seven of them walking towards where Fosanta had parked the shuttle.

"Have you not stopped on Illium before Whesiva?" Fosanta talking as they walk.

"No I have only dropped people off or picked them up. I never really felt I was missing anything not having a few days to look around."

"You probably did not miss anything but it is not that bad here." Fosanta giving her opinion. "You can literally get anything and the basics are extremely inexpensive."

"That sounds good." Hymara helping Whesiva put her baggage on-board the shuttle before they all get in.

"Well this looks familiar if a little smaller." Sam noting he has seen the same basic seating and brushed metal interior since the Citadel.

"Just ignore Sam Kate. He is a little grouchy." Kate nods as Sam pulls a bit of a sour face at Hymara.

"Amistathya. I need to ask you if you are indeed happy with people calling you Athya?" Fosanta getting straight to the point as soon as they were out of the Armali parking area.

"Why would I not be Fosanta? My parents used to call me that so I have probably been called Athya just as much as Amistathya."

"I was just wondering as I particularly dislike the idea. I admit I felt a little foolish for thinking that when I found out I had been shortening Kate's name."

"I could have told you that Fosanta and you have been shortening mine as well." Sam thinking he may as well stick his foot in it.

"I think that was a bit mean Sam."

"Sorry Kate as Hymara said I am grouchy."

"It is ok Sam. It took Kate telling me I had been shortening hers to realise that I should not try to force what I believe is right onto others. Whesiva do you know where your apartment is?"

"Yaimas Tower wherever that is." Fosanta uses the on-board navigation to find it but she has a rough idea where it is.

"I am sure it will be a nice apartment. You should see quite a bit of me at Armali as I also work in the biotics building. Yes it is large but I do get quite a few calls to the development labs."

"Well it will be nice to have one person I know. Could I ask if you have any problem with me having an Asari father though as some Asari do not want to be with me when they find out?"

"I do not mind what species your father was, all that matters is how you are." Fosanta being a little deep there, Sam getting lost about half way though. Fosanta sets the shuttle down on in the drop-off space at Yaimas Tower. "We are here, Yaimas Tower. I will look forward to meeting you around Armali Whesiva."

"Same to you Fosanta. I will hopefully see you all again shortly. Thank you for the ride." Whesiva gets out and Kate helps her out with her bags. When she has everything they all say goodbye and close the shuttle door before Fosanta takes off.

"It is quite amazing who you can pick up on these off world trips." Sam looking towards Amistathya as he says that.

"So how was your time on the Citadel Sam?"

"It was great Kate. Half of the time we spent out of the hotel was in the clinic the other half we were watching reporters taking our picture from across the Presidium lake. We spent about eight hours overall outside the hotel."

"How bad were they?"

"Fosanta, I have rarely seen anything as bad. Sam also did not help much by bringing Amistathya and opening his mouth. That caused an awful lot of speculation and slightly negative press." Hymara giving her report.

"They also gave Ami quite a nasty bruise on her left arm as we were trying to get back into the hotel through a group of them." Sam putting his answer in.

"I guess there may be similar problems here but at least we can injure them with no real problems unlike on the Citadel." Sam smiles at imagining that individual getting launched into the lake.

"Great."

"Do not blame me for having Ami now Kate. I must also say you would look remarkably pretty with blue skin." Kate looks at her hands to seemingly make sure she had not been tricked again before looking back at Sam.

"You have really lost it Sam."

"No Kate I am really serious, your hair looks brilliant with it. At least try it once."

"Looks? I am worried now Sam."

"Kate you know you said your biggest fear was someone messing with your mind without asking you?" Kate nods not getting what Sam was implying. "Work it out Kate."

"Athya you did not. Did you?" She looked towards Sam with no obvious outward expression. Sam nods and a smile creeps onto her face.

"Yes Kate. You have no need to worry I am not like Seliha."

"Why did you let her Sam?"

"You think I had a choice Kate? We do however have an agreement now in that if I want something changing back she will do so."

"I think you are mad Sam."

"Kate, I cannot initiate a meld with others and I cannot see what is being changed in a meld. How then is this in any way up to me?"

"You did not have to connect with Athya." Sam just facepalms, thinking it is very hard not to when you are coerced and manipulated into it. He carefully puts his arm around Amistathya.

"You must not be looking if you cannot see the changes Sam?"

"Actually Lianta Sam is correct in that he does not have a choice. Humans seem incapable of monitoring minor changes unless you explicitly tell them, which makes it very easy to change things without them knowing." Fosanta answering from the pilots seat as they approach the house.

"I hope you learnt that from Adastra Fosanta otherwise Kate is not going to be happy."

"Actually I worked it out from when I was helping Kate learn Asari properly Sam. She asked what I was doing when if she could see what I was changing it would have been obvious. I did not touch anything else at all Kate I promise."

"I believe you Fosanta as I have not seen Sam with pink hair yet."

"Perhaps I need to think about going to Thessia next week. The amount of abuse I get when I return is great fun. Oh and Ami will be displeased if you call her Ami. I can see Seliha taking advantage of that fact." The Shuttle lands back on the ground at the house.

"Amistathya, do you find Sam calling you that offensive?" Sam closes his eyes and sighs.

"As long as it is Sam saying it I do not. I would find it a little insulting if someone else did."

"Since we are bondmates I get special privileges. Are you happy now Fosanta?"

"Reasonably." Hymara opens the shuttle door with Lianta not far behind. The two of them walking off to their house. "I have probably annoyed them a lot on this trip so they are probably as warn out as I am."

"You do know they have guns and biotics Sam?"

"I did have Lianta at one point imply she may knock me out Fosanta, so I think they like me really." The four of them walking to the house, Sam and Amistathya with their bags.

"Just go to bed Sam and have a good nights sleep." Kate wanting to get rid of him once they had got in the house.

"Where are the other two blue ones?"

"Top floor your room Sam."

"Thanks Kate. Have a good sleep you two." Kate and Fosanta nod to Sam before he and Amistathya ascend the stairs to dump their bags in their room. "I am too knackered for a shower tonight I will have one in the morning. I must say goodnight to Adastra and Seliha first, you can stay here if you wish.

"I will stay Sam." He nods and heads up the stairs to find Adastra and Seliha watching something.

"Hi."

"Hello Sam. How was the Citadel?"

"A little annoying but otherwise good Adastra. Thalmara looked well and was as friendly as ever. The journalists were a pain and I must sleep as I had about three hours last night then a fourteen hour journey today. I will speak to you both tomorrow sometime."

"Good night Sam." Seliha wanting to get rid of him.

"Sam could you give me a hand with the design tomorrow sometime as I am getting nowhere."

"I will remote connect in from here as technically I have this week off."

"That sounds ok. Night Sam." Sam nods and leaves the two of them watching whatever it is. He walks back into his room and locks the door behind him. Looking over at the bed he can see Amistathya already in bed with her head down.

"Can I ask you to change Kate back to not being blue Ami?"

"Your mind will correct the error that I induced by itself Sam. I know it would have been a little confusing knowing she is not blue but you thinking she is."

"I am not going to ask how you managed it. Can you not change trivial things in my mind like that again Ami. It is remarkably scary being reminded you can do anything you wish and I would be unable to stop it. I would rather if you were to do things that they are kept a little hidden at least, so as not to frighten me."

"I will not do that again Sam." Sam climbing into bed with a smile on his face.

"Oh bed how I have missed you." Sam shuffles over to give Amistathya a hug. "Sleep well Ami."

"You too Sam." Sam nods before moving back to his side and turning the light off.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I still cannot believe Sam had no choice." Kate wondering how he seemed so ok with it as the two of them go to their bedroom.

"You would have no choice if you were in the same situation Kate. I would only prove that after asking you though which does make it more difficult."

"I think I would have had a choice."

"Ok then Kate. Do you trust me entirely?"

"Errm." Kate watching Fosanta get undressed and getting into the bed.

"I see you are not too keen to prove your point Kate given you are just standing there. I can guarantee you will be safe."

"Ok?" Kate not sounding too sure what she has let herself in for. She cautiously strips before climbing into bed. "Are you going to say what is to happen?"

"Oh no Kate. It is more fun this way and it will be sometime in the next two months. Do have a good sleep." Fosanta just about taming the grin into a smile.

"Two months?"

"Do not bother about it as paranoia makes my job easier. Anyway I am going to get some sleep now, sleep well Kate."

"You. Too." Kate being overly suspicious looking at the dark blue markings on Fosanta's face and wondering quite what ideas are being generated behind them. She turns the light off to try and get some sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**More of a set-up chapter than anything else but hopefully interesting to see certain characters develop. I appreciate the continual readers and you can all catch the next chapter on the 7th of July.**


	36. Chapter 36 : Everyone Together

**Chapter 36 - Everyone Together**

* * *

><p><strong>Thursday 2nd February 2017<strong>

Kate and Fosanta walk into the kitchen to find Sam and Amistathya already up and eating breakfast. "Morning you two. Did you sleep well?"

"I slept well Sam." Fosanta looked the sprightlier of the two.

"I am ok Sam. You seem much better this morning?"

"I slept quite well Kate, probably because I was so tired from yesterday. I am glad you are no longer blue. Ami said that my mind should fix the mistake." Kate does not seem bothered. "Anyway you look tired this morning. Care to say why?"

"Just something that is on my mind Sam."

"I can tell you do not want to say. I understand that Kate."

"Why are you two up so early anyway?" Fosanta plonking herself on a stool to begin eating.

"I have no idea. I just felt it was a good time to get up. I have no idea why as today the only thing I need to do is help Ami with something."

"And help me Sam." Adastra wondering in on the conversation.

"I apologise for forgetting about that Adastra. Did you have a late night as you look a bit tired as well?"

"I think next time it will be Friday nights for watching things." Sam laughs a little as Seliha walks in looking no fresher.

"I should be around most of the day to help you Adastra."

"I am pleased to hear that Sam as I am not progressing too well with the design." Adastra gets back to eating but notices Kate. "Did you get a late night as well Kate?"

"No just did not sleep well."

"We should be going Adastra as I really need an early start today." Seliha stuffing the last of her food in her mouth. Adastra nods before moving her dish to the sink.

"I will see you all later." The four of them nod and the two of them leave the kitchen.

"I am guessing you two are going a little later today?"

"Yes half an hour Sam as I am waiting for some testing equipment and Kate does not have an appointment until ten."

"So you really do not want to say anything Kate?"

"I cannot understand how you had no choice Sam?"

"You would also have little choice Kate but I do not think Fosanta wants to see where the limits are. It could be because Ami is still young I do not know."

"Fosanta wants to show I would have no choice. She said in the next two months. That is what kept me up." Kate finally spilling the beans.

"Really Fosanta?" She nods. "I am sure Fosanta would be willing to talk to you about it Kate. Just be careful not to give away any ideas as I can think of a couple you would dislike."

"Promise me you will not tell Fosanta Sam."

"I do Kate as this is between you and Fosanta." Kate nods in relief that Sam will not be giving Fosanta hints.

"I think we had best be leaving. I will see you both this evening." Fosanta getting up from the table.

"If I see Kate looking annoyed I know it was in the Skylounge at lunchtime." Sam laughs at Kate's expression. "It was not an idea, just a location and a time."

"If that does happen I am going to be annoyed at you Sam for suggesting it."

"Have a good day Kate." Sam not getting a reply as the two of them leave the house to head to Armali. "Do you think Kate has already lost Ami, given she is so paranoid?"

"What I would do is absolutely nothing but just keep dropping hints that I will."

"I was wondering yesterday how you can be so likeable and friendly and yet so cold at the same time. Anyway for the next two days when there is no one in the house you may act as you did on the Citadel. The arm rule stays and I can add others as I see fit does that sound reasonable Ami?"

"It does Sam. So when are we going to modify the contract?"

"I am sure you know what I am about to say?"

"That I was mean to you on the Citadel so you are going to do the same now?" Amistathya stating it as more of a fact than a question. Sam nods.

"You are good at this Ami. I was actually contemplating dropping the contract entirely but Seliha still seems a little off somehow."

"Why do you think that?"

"She is usually as talkative as Adastra but it is almost as if she is waiting for something to happen, quite what I do not know. Anyway I believe you have a message to send?" Sam standing up.

"Maybe two I am unsure." Amistathya joins Sam in walking out of the kitchen to head upstairs.

"Well in the top room there are three consoles so you can have a choice. I need to get some work done with Adastra." The two of them go up to their top room with Amistathya taking the console next to Sam. "Who is the second message for Ami?"

"Well actually third message Sam and I thought Fosanta may be interested in my idea." A slight smile on her face as she turns to Sam.

"You enjoy being mean too much Ami."

"You would rather Fosanta actually did something potentially distressing to Kate Sam?" Sam just puts his head in his hands and begins laughing.

"Hello Sam. Are you ok?" Sam looks up at the screen, Adastra looking a little worried.

"I am fine Adastra. I have just been played yet again and it is infuriatingly annoying that Ami is right and yet so wrong. No I am sure you can think of something else Ami." Sam leaning over to stop Amistathya sending the message.

"It is the least mean option Sam."

"What are you two on about?"

"I cannot believe I am going to say this but do it. You are so annoying at times." Amistathya presses send and leans back with a smile of a job well done. "Adastra, with you not picking us up last night you missed out on a few things. It will have to wait until later but you may find out at lunch time. Anyway where are you with the design?"

"I have tried sorting out the simulation problem but the only way to do it is to break the design it seems?" Sam has a look as to what has happened and is rather intrigued as to how some of the problems have been solved. He can see where the problem is but not how to fix it. The two of them ponder the design for a while.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Hi Fosanta."

"Oh, hello Whesiva. How is your apartment?"

"It is good, a lot bigger than I need but the space is nice. I have just been told that it is test day on Saturday and it is mostly nebula class bioamps that we will be testing."

"Yes it is I think all nebula except Adastra as I think the other pulsar tester is on Thessia. We are going to essentially get no new data from Adastra as the sensors that are in her amp are all but useless."

"Why?"

"The pulsed nature of the amplifier messes with the sensors. I have spent the last two weeks trying to create a system which will attempt to recreate the data so we can get something useful from the next test design."

"Interesting. Could I ask if you know anything about the Terasol class design as I found it in a file earlier but I have never heard of it at all on Thessia?"

"Terasol? Really Whesiva?"

"It was in an old set of testing notes I needed to look at from three years ago. The results of the testing were not recorded and I can find no design files for it."

"I am sure it is just an old design then."

"Fosanta there are no testing results for that scheduled testing session. Not even for the standard or developmental parts. I have gone through a few previous and following sessions and there is no mention at all of Terasol."

"Do you have anywhere you need to be for an hour or so?"

"Not really why?"

"Well we either should not know about this and that file needs wiping or I need to know more as I am designing a system for just the two different amplifier designs. If there is another design it may not work." Fosanta sends a message to Usarta before looking in her inbox to find one from Amistathya.

_Fosanta,_

_Do nothing for the two months but just keep dropping hints you might._

_Amistathya_

Fosanta smiles and shakes her head. "What is it Fosanta?"

"It does not matter Whesiva but it was just a ridiculous idea someone had." Usarta opens the door and walks in.

"You wanted me Fosanta?"

"Well it was Whesiva who found this out but is there another bioamp design other than the Nebula and Pulsar ranges?"

"No Fosanta, why do you ask?"

"I am making this data acquisition system for these two designs specifically and it may not work on a third design."

"There is no third design."

"So why did I find reference to a Terasol design this morning which I have never heard of whilst working on Thessia?" Usarta seems a little flustered.

"I need to know where you found that reference Whesiva but yes, Terasol is a strange reverse pulsar design for individuals who instead of pulse charging and linearly discharging, linearly charge and pulse discharge. Four percent of our clients are pulsed biotics and about eight percent of those cannot use one of the other two designs. We would be unable to make any profit on the design, one of the reasons it has been quietly sidelined."

"Would pulse discharging not cause an excessive recovery time?"

"Indeed Whesiva. The designers found these biotics were relatively weak and the longer they used their biotics the longer the recovery time was. For example their biggest push caused about a minute of recovery. Interestingly they could manipulate fields for up to thirty seconds at a time, but the recovery period was upwards of five minutes and caused a static charge build-up."

"They are the individuals we are told to say we cannot provide amps to on Thessia."

"You are correct. Terasol was designed to allow the use time to be longer with no extra recovery time. We found that although the design seemed to work the very large static charge left on the individual made it dangerous for them to be touched for up to a minute afterwards. We deemed this too risky and hence shelved the design."

"Could I at least have a look at the design as I did my university thesis on discharge systems so I am not really an amplifier specialist? I could maybe make it work."

"I did petition the council board to provide extra funding to bioamp development as it would allow us to increase our range. I will give you access to the files but if any of this leaks out you will not have a job. Do you understand this Whesiva?"

"I do. How long do I have?"

"On paper you start here on Monday so you have until Sunday to make the changes you want to the design. You can skip testing to continue working if you wish but you must do all work inside the facility. If you have a simulatable design by Sunday then I will let you produce it on one of the more advanced manufacturing machines in the propulsion building. You will need to get friendly with someone who has access."

"Why does the propulsion building have more advanced machines than we do?" Whesiva confused as to why something so large needs such accuracy.

"Our thrusters have to stay competitive with Salarian and Turian manufacturers. We do not have the high specification of the Salarian designs nor the easily repairable nature of the Turian designs. We compete on price and build quality. The advanced manufacturing machines in the building allow us to keep prices low and quality high, which means price conscious companies or those who want good tolerances and reliability buy our designs."

"I guess because there is less competition in bio-amps then there is less need for the absolute best."

"We cycle machinery around to get the most use out of it possible. The Thessia upgrade that is happening now will get the same machines as are in the propulsion building. This department will get the old machines from Thessia."

"I see how that works. So Illium is for development only?"

"Mostly it is which it is another reason why all testing designs are 15mm even though the design will eventually be 10mm when produced in a couple of years time in Thessia."

"I understand now. I already know Sam and I am guessing I will meet Adastra shortly as well so I can get to the building if I need to."

"Good. If you can find a suitable individual to test this design next Thursday then that is when I would like all testing to be done as I know the testing labs are free and you will be undisturbed. If you cannot find an individual then the design will be shelved again for the moment until either there is renewed interest or the Thessia refit has been completed."

"Do we have a portable field sensor that I can use to track down individuals with?"

"Yes Whesiva, store room 17263. Sign it out and make sure it comes back in the same condition." Whesiva nods and leaves. "So do you think your system will cope with a reverse pulsar design Fosanta?"

"If that is all it is then I can see no reason why not but if it is more complicated than that then it may not."

"Ok, you will probably be needed for testing but I am sure Whesiva would like a hand integrating some sensors into the design on Sunday. I am sure you can use the flexi-time you have to your advantage. As I said to Whesiva if what you are doing gets out then you will have no job."

"I understand."

"Have a pleasant day and I will be interested in what you come up with on Sunday." Fosanta nods and Usarta leaves.

"Well that was unexpected." Fosanta musing to herself before getting back to her messages. She sends a quick reply to Amistathya before noting it is lunch time and heading to the Skylounge.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Amistathya had managed to squeeze herself on Sam's chair behind him, looking over his shoulder at the screen. "Oh lunchtime. I will be back in a bit Sam and Athya."

"Ok Adastra." Sam just about getting his words out before Adastra disconnects. "Ami, could I ask why you wished to sit behind me?"

"Would you rather I did not Sam?" The Asari looking a little saddened at that notion.

"I feel less safe when you are and I wish you would stop licking the back of my neck." Amistathya cracking a smile.

"You like it really Sam."

"Not when I am trying to concentrate on work Ami. You have a reply from Fosanta anyway." Sam motioning to her console. Amistathya gets up off the seat and opens the message.

_Amistathya,_

_I would rather get it done with in say the next couple of weeks than to keep it going so long._

_Fosanta_

"See I said."

"If Adastra, Seliha and Fosanta are bioamp testing on Saturday does that mean..."

"No Ami. You are not to manipulate Kate while everyone else is away."

"You could do it for me." The innocent tone colliding with the smile on her face.

"Ami if I am mean to Kate for no reason then I will let Seliha have you for the day with instructions to be as evil as she wishes."

"You would not Sam."

"It is up to you if you want to take the risk Ami. You need to understand that you can be happy without being mean to other people. Anyway lunchtime, are you coming?" Sam already up from his chair and half way to the door. Amistathya gets up and follows.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Fosanta and Adastra walk towards the table at the same time. "You two are a bit later today?" Seliha sounding a little like she was on a fishing trip.

"I was having a discussion with Usarta about Saturday's testing as Adastra's current bioamp still has the old sensor design which is nearly useless."

"So am I still testing?"

"Yes as we can still measure output. It is just we have no idea how the amplifier is working internally." Adastra nods.

"So why were you late Adastra?" Seliha still on her mission to find out.

"Sam seemed a little distracted with Athya behind him and I was curious as they really seem to have changed since being on the Citadel. I am intrigued as to what happened."

"I am not saying anything."

"Bit defensive there Kate. Did they say something embarrassing on the shuttle?"

"No, just something I wish I had not have found out about." Adastra looks to Fosanta.

"Amistathya has been messing with Sam's mind." Adastra and Seliha start laughing a little.

"What is so funny?" Kate seemingly not pleased but it could be from the lack of sleep.

"She is testing the strength of the bond between them Kate. She is probably keeping a close eye out for any particularly interesting or desirable traits Sam has as well."

"Why wou... never mind." Kate figuring out why.

"I am sure Fosanta will give you first hand experience eventually Kate. Anyway I must leave to get back to this design as we are getting somewhere."

"I have a ton of work to get through as well." Seliha getting up and following Adastra.

"You are making me nervous Fosanta, could we not just get this over with today?"

"No Kate as that is you choosing when it is happening, just trust me and it will all be fine. I will see you later." Fosanta gets a nod off Kate before heading back to work.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am warning you now before we start, if you lick my neck again there will be problems. Do you understand that Ami?" Sam looking at the sky blue one who had settled back down behind him.

"Yes Sam." Sam turns around to find Adastra is back, with a slight smile on her face.

"I see you are having some trouble Sam. We can always come back to this later if you want?"

"Could I ask if being irritating is just a part of being young Adastra?"

"It does not help Sam but we discussed this over lunch. Myself and Seliha seem to think there is another reason."

"Wou..." Sam closes his eyes and sighs. "Ami, please could you go and stand in the middle of the room. I do apologise Adastra."

"I do not think it is your fault Sam." Sam nods to the screen.

"Ami stand on the tips of your toes and hold your arms out so your hands are level with your shoulders. You are to stay like that until I say otherwise. I would advise you not to let your arms drop or put your heal on the floor. Do you understand that Ami?"

"Yes."

"Good now I can get back to work. Where were we..."

"The hydrogen pressure valve Sam. The simulator is complaining the part is very close to failing."

"Is it heat or pressure related?"

"More heat Sam."

"Would it be safe enough to expand some of the compressed oxygen to cool parts? I know there is a fire risk but it is something that would have quite a bit of cooling power."

"I thought we would need it for burning the plasma Sam?"

"We only need enough to make the plasma more stable Adastra. We can use the leftover oxygen for cooling if we can make things out of ceramics so they do not oxidise under the high heat."

"I think I can do that. You keep an eye on Athya Sam." Sam looks up to see she did not look quite as cheery now.

"How are you feeling Ami?"

"My legs are starting to feel sore and my arms seem to be getting heavier."

"I could have guessed that, anything I could not guess?"

"No Sam."

"Good. I think you are going to give up very soon as you are just complying to humour me. The punishment for failing will be going to eternity naked."

"Please no Sam."

"It was your own fault for licking my neck when I asked you not to." Sam looks back at the console.

"I have made a rough modification Sam." He looks at the design checking every few seconds to see if Ami has put her feet down.

"That looks like it might work. Could I ask what your theory was over lunch time?"

"Sorry Sam." Sam gave Adastra a not impressed face before looking back at Amistathya.

"I can see you are not going to last too much longer so another minute then you can relax."

"You are very mean Sam."

"Someone has to draw a line somewhere Ami and unfortunately I am the one with the pen. Have you learnt anything from this little exercise?"

"Not to underestimate you."

"Not quite what I was expecting but it will do. You can relax and sit behind me again if you wish. All I ask is for you not to annoy me. Is that ok Ami?" She manages a nod and the two of them go back to sitting on the chair. "Again my apologies Adastra."

"I do not think Athya was expecting you to push back Sam."

"You make it sound like I should not have done Adastra?"

"I will let Athya talk to you about it. I need to look at a part to physically get an idea how it works before I leave here for the day. I will leave this until tomorrow now."

"Oh Adastra. Can Ami and I get a lift in with you tomorrow? We hopefully should have something to pick up and I would actually like to have a chat with Whesiva for a few minutes."

"Of course. You will have to make your own way back however."

"I figured that. Talk later." Adastra nods before the connection breaks. "I could really do with getting a couple of items from Nos Astra and perhaps a drink. I also think we need to get some water for you as well. Would you like to go now or talk first Ami?"

"Talk about what?"

"Why me pushing back was a problem." Amistathya sighs.

"It is not like I can do it again. Ok Sam. There are various methods for testing how strong a bond is between two individuals before thinking of settling with them. Usually only one test is needed, sometimes two. I thought the first was a little rigged in my favour with my manipulations, the second was ambiguous and this is also ambiguous."

"Ami, just forget the testing and just think back over the last week and two days. What do you feel the answer is?"

"Convention says that it is usually about three hundred and fifty when most Asari begin to want to settle with an individual. I have practically been forced to settle on Illium as a servant from a young age. I am concerned that I may become restless now I feel there is something to look forward too."

"I understand that Ami but it is what feels right for you, nothing else matters. What do you honestly feel?"

"I feel the bond is very strong but I do not really know until we can properly meld and enjoy each other. That is why I have been looking for alternate ways of finding out."

"That makes sense. Anyway do you want to go for a trip to Nos Astra?"

"I will go with you Sam." The two of them go downstairs with Sam requesting a shuttle for six to come and pick them up on his Omni-tool as they descend the stairs. The two of them go next door to pick up some commandos. Sam rings the doorbell with Hymara answering. "Hello Hymara. If there are two more bored people in there that would like to come along for a trip to Nos Astra to get a few things then it would be appreciated. I would like less bruises on Ami and four individuals should make that easier."

"I will see if anyone wants to come along but there are no guarantees." Sam nods as Hymara disappears from the door.

"What is it you want to get Sam?"

"Pallet wrap, some black material, a few chairs, a small desk and some rope that is good to work with."

"A rather strange list, what are you planning?"

"There are so many jokes you can play with clear pallet wrap. I thought Adastra might appreciate a childish joke. The rest of the stuff is for making a corner of the basement feel a little less like a basement."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"I have my computer from my home world down there and I quite liked using it on the Enlighten. The problem at the moment though is that sitting on cardboard boxes or the pallet that is down there is not that comfortable."

"Can I see it Sam?"

"You mean see it working?" Amistathya nods with enthusiasm. "Yes it it would possibly have to be Saturday as it seems you already have most of tomorrow planned."

"Not really Sam." Sam laughs a little before Hymara reappears with three others following.

"Hello you two I had forgotten you were still here."

"Very funny Sam. This must be Amistathya?" Sam nods. "Hello, I am Kalawa, myself and Selayla are technically protecting Fosanta." Amistathya nods to the two of them.

"Could you tell us why you need four of us Sam?"

"From the start. You can both call Amistathya Athya if you wish; you will hear me call her Ami. She would rather no one else call her that." The two of them nod. "Basically do not touch or let the journalists touch Ami, she still has a bit of a bruise from when that happened on the Citadel. I think that is about it."

"So it is a journalist problem?"

"Yes Selayla."

"That would explain the large amount of articles that I saw earlier this week. You are not exactly popular with some people Sam."

"Well it is impossible to please everyone all of the time Kalawa."

"I guess you have not read the articles then?" Sam shakes his head. "There are a lot of people out there annoyed and puzzled as to why you have seemingly chosen an individual they describe between average and ugly. I personally quite like individuals with lighter markings."

"Hold on not lighter markings as well. Is there anything some people actually like?"

"The typical traits are perfect blue skin with no blemishes, a moderate amount of facial marking in dark blue with blue eyes. They also cannot have an Asari father. That is their idea of perfect and there are contests right across Thessia for exactly this."

"I am guessing you went in for them then Selayla?"

"My skin is not evenly coloured enough Sam but yes I do seem to be rather liked amongst Asari because of me fitting most of that definition." The shuttle lands on the visitors pad. "The only individuals I personally do not like much are those with red markings, it makes them look permanently angry." Sam laughs a little as the six of them start walking to the shuttle.

"Why are we going to Nos Astra Sam?"

"I want to get a few things and unless anyone has a complaint Eternity is not all that far away." Sam looks around and sees no one making any obvious complaints.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Fosanta gets a message just as Kate opens the shuttle door to head back to the house.

_Fosanta,_

_We will be a couple of hours until we are back. Kalawa and Selayla wanted a walk so they have tagged along. Hope you do not mind._

_Sam_

"That is nice, Sam taking my security with him. To be fair it is not like I was intending to go anywhere so it does give them something to do."

"Do you know where they have gone?"

"No idea Kate but since they are going to be a couple of hours they can make their own food." The two of them enter the house to find Adastra and Seliha in the seating area comparing something on their Omni-tools.

"Do either of you two know why Sam wants a lift in to Armali tomorrow?"

"I did not even know he wanted to Adastra. He has been acting a little strange lately."

"You have no idea what happened this afternoon Fosanta. Athya is definitely testing Sam but she was not expecting what happened."

"He did not?" Seliha asking with a curious shock on her face. Adastra nods.

"I am not going to ask as it has nothing to do with me." Kate keeping out of it.

"That is ok Kate, it is better if you did not know."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The six of them began to head to Eternity, a number of bags in hand. Amistathya was confused as to what had just happened but she was reluctant to ask in public. "No journalists. Maybe they only work Friday to Sunday on Illium."

"It might just be they do not expect you to be around any other day Sam." They walk in to Eternity to find it practically empty with just a couple of individuals near the entrance. It was not entirely unexpected given it was early evening and a Thursday.

"Surprised to see you here. Just yourself from the group today babe?" The six of them head to the table nearest the bar.

"It is good to see you Aethyta. Yes just me today as it was a bit of an unplanned visit." Aethyta walks around from the behind the bar to the table where the six of them had sat down.

"I read some interesting articles earlier this week, a pleasure to meet you Amistathya." She nods with a little restraint.

"From what I have heard I do not think they quite understand the current arrangement. Ami is my indentured servant. Oh and if you wish you can call her Athya instead."

"Certain individuals would be glad to hear that. What would you all like?"

"Well I think Hymara said I should try the honey mead last time so I will." Aethyta nods. "What would the quiet one like?" Amistathya shrugs. "I am guessing elasa was the base to the strong and fruity floor cleaner I had last time?" Aethyta laughs a little at the description.

"It was."

"I am sure she would appreciate elasa by itself." Aethyta seems unsurprised that the commandos all want the honey mead as well and goes off to collect their drinks. "Does Gemayha only work weekends Aethyta?" Sam shouting over to the bar.

"There is no need to have her around at any other time." Sam nods. "The articles said you had been to a clinic on the Citadel."

"I thought I told them that it was just advice and I am fine. I really do not understand why it is such a big deal?" Aethyta brings the drinks over.

"They are desperate Sam. I can see you have no intentions of humouring them though."

"You are correct as I cannot understand why they should know everything about me." Sam takes a swig of the honey mead. "Well it is good if a touch sweet."

"I said it was good."

"Indeed Hymara, I would rather have something with an edge of bitterness though. Call it a personal preference. Actually that reminds me I have something I need to look for at some time as I cannot remember whether I brought it with me or not."

"I am not even going to ask what you have been reminded about this time." Sam laughs a little at Hymara's comment as he gets a message on his Omni-tool.

_Sam,_

_Package was successfully dropped off._

Sam shows the message to Amistathya before the two of them laugh a bit. "Nearly the shortest message possible, she must have been in a rush. How is the elasa going down Ami?"

"It is not bad."

"I could never drink that stuff straight personally. It needs something else to give it some flavour as it has hardly any taste." Kalawa clearly knowing nothing about Amistathya.

"Hymara, Lianta. I want you to actually talk with the other commandos a bit when you get back to the house as you clearly do not discuss even the basics amongst each other. I am a bit tired about having explain everything."

"Explain what?"

"If you want to know you are going to have to come around here Selayla as I need this keeping secret. You too Kalawa." The pair of them walk around to where Sam is sat and crouch down so they are about level. "Ami is unable to taste anything hence why I got something that probably does not have much taste. It would have been a waste otherwise."

"Really Sam?"

"Yes Kalawa. If you actually do talk to Hymara or Lianta I want everything keeping quiet though. Do you all understand?" Sam gets four nods. "Good. Well I am finished and I could do with getting some food."

"Sounds like a good idea." Lianta noting, the commandos having finished their drinks a good number of minutes previously. The six of them pay for the drinks and say goodbye to Aethyta before making their way back to the house.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Are you sure it was not a few hours Fosanta." Kate thinking it was nearer three than two now.

"I am sure." Fosanta putting the last of the plates back into the cupboard. "I think I just heard the door." The two of them make their way to the door. "I see you have been shopping."

"Just for a few bits Fosanta. Oh and water for Ami."

"There is a tap Sam."

"Oh I know that Kate, it is doctor Thalmara's recommendation. Who am I to argue with someone who seems to know what they are doing."

"What else did you get?"

"I got a few bits to make using my computer in the basement a little more comfortable."

"You should have got some chairs or a desk or something Sam."

"They are arriving on Saturday Kate. Something else I have found out is that anything that you might not need instantly or is not easy to carry gets delivered."

"Actually you can usually go to their warehouse yourself and pick it up if you need it sooner."

"It is fine Fosanta, Saturday is more convenient. Where are the other two?"

"Upstairs Sam." Sam nods before going into the kitchen to make something to eat. Fosanta and Kate head upstairs.

"Can I ask why you wanted my opinion?" Amistathya not sure whether to ask or not.

"Is it all that difficult to remember you get to know what you are told Ami?"

"I apologise Sam. I was just confused."

"Ok let me ask you this, would you have willingly gone to Eternity had you failed earlier?"

"No Sam. You know what I was like on Thessia and that was just you."

"The rope, well more cord given its two part construction is handy for tying the sheets up in the basement. There are undoubtedly some other uses for it but I could also use some to tie your arms behind you so you would be less of a handful. This is why I wanted you to look at them and see which you thought would be the nicest out of the two I had narrowed it down to. I know now I have told you this you will resist me doing so."

"As I said when I first agreed to this Sam, I will try my hardest not to go against you, but I feel much more restricted after the Citadel trip than I did before."

"I suppose this would be why Sha'ira said she thought I should get rid of the contract. The problem is I would find the balance shifted too much in your favour if I allowed that to happen unless some agreement was made. I can think of no better individual than yourself Ami but I am at a natural disadvantage in one on one situations. I hope you can see roughly what I am getting at."

"You like me being like I have been recently but you need something to use to remind me when it is inappropriate."

"Exactly. I am wondering whether this stems from not having a lot of contact with others or not. If you can come up with some sort of balance I will be more tempted to scrap the contract early." Amistathya has a think for a few minutes as Sam prepares them both something to eat.

"I would need a better look at the rope and I would need you to agree to remove it if it is uncomfortable but I would willingly let you put a piece around my neck if you wanted."

"Well that is certainly not what I was thinking Ami." Sam mulling over the idea in his head as he begins to eat his food. "You would be perfectly happy with that though?" She nods with a smile to Sam. "Ok I have a proposal, if you agree to that idea then I will end the contract next time we come back to Illium. I know we will need to go off-world in March at the latest as we will no doubt need to sort out promotional things with Galactic Acceptance. It may well be in a couple of weeks given the rate I have been going off-world lately. Does that sound ok?"

"Why the wait?"

"Ok then Ami, next time we come back or the end of this month whichever is first."

"If I think the rope will be fine then I will agree as long as it is done on Saturday."

"That sounds good with me. I might be able to do some sorting out in the basement this evening before bed." Amistathya smiles as Sam takes her empty plate with his to the sink.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam and Amistathya walk up the stairs after shuffling boxes around in the basement. "The rope is rather nice Sam. The tight braid on the outside is quite smooth so I am happy enough with the decision."

"I am still not quite sure where I stand on your suggestion Ami. I suppose we will see on Saturday."

"If you do not like the idea Sam then I can always try and think of something else."

"No Ami. Try this first as you seem happy with the idea and I understand it is difficult with your skin and everything."

"Thank you." Sam puts his arm around Amistathya as the two of them approach the seating where the other four currently are.

"Could I ask what you are picking up at Armali tomorrow Sam?" Seliha not waiting until the two of them had sat down.

"A box of which I do not know what is inside so if that is what you wanted to know Seliha then you are out of luck. Sorry." Seliha gives Sam a bit of a disbelieving look. "Yes I could find out but I do not want to. I would also like to talk to Whesiva to see how she is settling in. It is going to be fun getting Ami in though. I have a feeling they might not take too well to her not being an employee."

"She seems to quite like her apartment even if it is oversized."

"So you have seen her today then Fosanta?"

"Yes Sam she came to get a second opinion on some test data." Fosanta fudging the truth a little.

"Fair enough. Kate, did Fosanta get you at lunch time?" Sam having a bit of a smile on his face as he stifles the laugh.

"No Sam. Thank you for reminding Fosanta though."

"What is this about Kate as you seemed very jumpy at lunch time?" Kate sighs.

"I may have mentioned something along the lines of how could Sam have no choice in what happened. I am assuming you can guess the rest Adastra."

"I apologise Kate." She looks a little confused at Adastra. "I could say what I think but you will not like it Kate."

"I would like to know Adastra." Adastra looks to Fosanta who nods seemingly having no problem with Adastra saying something.

"Do you remember when I said at lunchtime that I thought Athya was testing Sam." Kate nods wondering where this is going. "Well, to fight against Fosanta will mean you splitting, unless you can find a very fine line." Sam looks to Amistathya with a little smile, she returns the gesture. "I would however hate to advise you on how to succeed."

"So basically I have no choice?"

"No Kate. You always have a choice and that is how you can fail. The amount the test is biased by will determine how much of a price you have to pay to succeed. It is up to you to determine if it is reasonable."

"So it is a choice but I have to loose to win?" Adastra puts her head in her hand.

"No Kate." Sam piping up as he has heard enough. "I am going to have to ask someone else to continue as I promised not to give any hints."

"I will discuss this with you upstairs Kate as it is getting late." Kate nods. "Good night everyone." Everyone says night before Kate and Fosanta move from the seating area.

"She is going to get a surprise when she finds out."

"I am guessing you have an idea what is going to happen Seliha?"

"It is going to have to be something that is not subtle and to prove a point." Sam is tempted to slow clap right about now but decides not to upset her when she seems to have switched.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Can you explain what is to happen Fosanta?"

"I need to plan this out better Kate so it will likely be next weekend. All I can tell you is you will know when you see it and you can make your choice. Just do not worry at all Kate."

"So is that definitely next weekend?"

"Well I am very busy for the next few days at Armali so it is highly likely Kate but not definitely or guaranteed."

"I feel a little happier I have a rough idea of the time this will happen. I am still dreading what will happen though."

"Kate you will be able to cope with everything I can assure you of that."

"That is hardly convincing Fosanta." Kate gets into the bed with Fosanta not far behind.

"Kate, you should get a lot out of the experience. It may be a bit difficult in parts but it will be worth it. Just relax for a bit and forget about it Kate."

"I trust you Fosanta. I hope I sleep better tonight."

"I hope you do too. Good night Kate." Kate nods and Fosanta turns out the light.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**My appreciation goes to all those who read the story every week and for those new individuals who have only just found the story. The next few chapters should be worth waiting for and you can read the next one on the 14th of July.**


	37. Chapter 37 : Different Tricks

**Chapter 37 - Different Tricks**

* * *

><p><strong>Friday 3rd February 2017<strong>

Fosanta and Kate walk into the kitchen to find everyone already eating breakfast. "Morning everyone."

"Hello Kate, you look much fresher this morning."

"I feel it Sam. Fridays are always a little quieter and I believe Fosanta did promise last weekend that Friday would be fun night."

"Well it must have made a difference last Saturday as you certainly seem less defensive about it."

"It is not an unknown now Sam." Sam nods.

"Are you ready to leave Sam?"

"I am Adastra." Sam looks to Amistathya who gave a smile before getting up. "See you both later." The pair of them nod as they leave.

"When is your first meeting today Kate?"

"Nine thirty so we do not have that long Fosanta." The two of them eat breakfast quickly before heading to work.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Adastra I will have a talk to Whesiva and then head back to the house. I will then connect in and help you with the water splitting system."

"I will be waiting for you Sam as some parts of what you have done confuse me now."

"It is quite easy to work it out of you follow the pipes. Actually what may be an idea is colouring the pipes. Use red for hydrogen and blue for oxygen for example then it would make viewing them a bit easier. You could even have a yellow stripe on the inlet and nothing on the outlet."

"Actually that could be a good idea in general to help servicing as it is going to be a nightmare to service once installed on a ship."

"I do apologise Seliha if some of this is boring you."

"I understand the basics and I have a rough idea what you are talking about so at least I can follow." Sam nods as the shuttle lands at Armali. The four of them get out and go to the lift.

"Sorry Adastra, I just realised it will be Usarta first. This is becoming quite a list of things I need to do."

"As long as you have some spare time sometime Sam, I am not too bothered. I can colour the pipes while you are getting everything you need to do done as you suggested." Sam nods as the lift stops. "I will see you both later." The pair of them nod and go in the other direction to Sam and Amistathya.

It is only five minutes before Sam reaches Usarta's office. He knocks on the door and hears a come in, the pair of them enter. "Morning Sam. How are you feeling?"

"Not too bad but I know there is worse to come." Usarta looks confused. "Ami has kindly separated her memories into blocks which I can get used to in stages."

"That is good. I hear you had a few problems with reporters."

"Yes Lianta was tempted to throw one who was hiding in some bushes into the lake and one of them gave Ami a bruise. They also found out about our plan to go to Thessia so we had to change it as it was too much of a risk."

"I understand. What could I help you with?"

"Two things, is it ok if Ami follows me around. I know she is not an employee hence why I was asking. Second is do you know where the packages from the parts freighter are?"

"The packages are in storage three so floor thirty two of the propulsion building. I will let you take Amistathya with you but you are not to enter any testing rooms. I hope that is clear to both of you, I will check access logs later to ensure that has not happened."

"I understand. Thank you for your time Usarta."

"No problem, have a good day." Sam nods and the two of them leave.

"Well I sort of expected the no test room limitation as they have things being developed and tested in there years away from release. Follow me Ami." The two of them had just got through security into the biotic building when Sam received a message.

_Sam,_

_When you get a spare couple of minutes could I have a talk? I am in room 23042._

_Fosanta_

"Well that is handy Fosanta would like a talk and she might know where Whesiva is."

"Why are we going to see Whesiva anyway Sam?"

"I just wanted to ask her how she is settling in and what she thinks of the facility. Do you think I should not bother?"

"She seemed as if she needed friendly faces, I guess we may as well go while we are here."

"That is what I thought Ami." The two of them get into a lift to go to floor twenty three.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Whesiva walks into Fosanta's room. "Morning Fosanta."

"Oh hello Whesiva. How are you today?"

"A bit exhausted to be honest. This design is a very different to what Usarta described it as yesterday."

"How much different?"

"Well from the data I have seen the amplifier frequency is over a much wider frequency range and cannot be predetermined."

"Interesting, so you mean the frequency is entirely dependant upon the biotic ability being performed?"

"Well that was what was odd, it was also things like distance and time related as well."

"I will test my system using the simulator today to see if it will cope with trying to predict the frequency as it occurs with things like rise times. Do you think you will get the design improved by Sunday?"

"Quite easily Fosanta but I was worried about sensors and the size of the amplifier is 18mm on the best process we can do here." The two of them hear a knock on the door.

"Come in."

"Oh hello Whesiva. I was going to have a talk to you after I had talked to Fosanta. If I am interrupting anything we can wait outside a few minutes?"

"No it is fine Sam. I will be in my room if you want a quick talk in a few minutes."

"What room is that Whesiva as I do not have a list of where everyone is in this building?"

"Room 24002 Sam." Sam nods and Whesiva leaves.

"What did you wish to discuss Fosanta?"

"I would quite like your help in proving a point to Kate but I need to know that you will both not be excessively mean and will treat her well."

"If you could tell us what you have in mind then I can gauge if I can help you."

"I would like to see how Kate copes having no control at all. I need to see if she crumbles or just accepts it."

"Oh so you are testing her then Fosanta?" She nods looking a little pained about it. "I am guessing you are asking me because you do not want to?"

"I would Sam the problem however is that I am at bioamp testing tomorrow and I need this doing tomorrow. I have convinced Kate this will happen next week to help calm her a little."

"I am sure myself and Ami will be able to help while you are away. What is it you want us to do?"

"My intention is to offer her nothing tonight or the chance to meld plus a shower tomorrow. The catch being she would be yours for tomorrow." Ami gets a bit of a grin which Sam notices.

"If you can make her sign it but make it absolutely clear she has a choice then I will agree. I would like Ami to not be an owner." Ami seems a little shocked by that. "I know you too well Ami so the shock does not work. I would however like to know exactly what I can do in advance as I find being an owner hard work at times."

"No melding, no broken bones, nothing too physically or mentally stressful, no drugs or offensive tasting food or drink and no sex."

"I thought you might have a list several pages long Fosanta."

"You seem to treat Amistathya well so I thought I could trust you not to go too far."

"I promise she will be physically unharmed, I cannot say about mentally as I think Kate may take this quite hard. I will try my best to be reasonable in any case."

"I will look after and reassure her afterwards Sam so you need not worry if she is a little shaken."

"Oh could you keep this from her until tomorrow morning if possible Fosanta. I do not want her scared beforehand as it would mean her having a bad nights sleep."

"I do not think that will be a problem Sam. Could you just sign this pad for me in the correct box so all she has to do is sign it." Fosanta passes the pad that was on her desk to Sam.

"I was about to ask how you were going to do this but I actually do not want to know. So she is mine from nine till five?" Sam handing the pad back.

"If she agrees to sign the datapad then yes. I thank you for your help Sam."

"No problem. I will see you later, and you do not need to worry I will keep this quiet." Fosanta nods as Sam and Amistathya leave the room to go to see Whesiva.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Whesiva was just getting back into her design when she hears a knock on the door. She quickly blanks the screen and ensures there are no documents on her desk. "Come in." Sam and Amistathya walk in to see Whesiva a little flustered.

"Are you ok? We are not interrupting something important are we as this chat is hardly important?"

"No it is fine. I am ok Sam."

"I am glad to hear that but you do look overly stressed. How is your new apartment?"

"It has plenty of space and has quite good views actually which I like."

"What do you think of the Illium facility? I know you have not been here long but how are you finding it?"

"It is difficult remembering what floors the skybridges are on but other than that it is good. It is certainly different from Thessia."

"If you really do not want to talk Whesiva then we can leave as this seems a very one sided conversation."

"I have a deadline that is very soon for some work Sam. I apologise for being a bit sharp but I did not get too much sleep last night either."

"Whesiva, you need to sleep even if you have a deadline. You will take longer to make decisions and may even make mistakes all because of an extra couple of hours. Is it really worth it?"

"You may have a point Sam. Anyway I have Tuesday off so I was wondering if both of you would like to arrange to meet somewhere in the afternoon." Sam looks to Amistathya who smiles a little.

"I think I can work something out." Sam seems to ponder an idea for a few moments.

"You do not work here Athya?" She shakes her head.

"How about you meet us at our house early Tuesday afternoon Whesiva? Before you ask I can have an afternoon off when I wish as long as the work is done in time."

"That sounds good Sam. I am curious though as to how Athya got past security?"

"She followed me through. Yes Usarta is keeping a close eye on where we go. Anyway we have something to collect so we will probably see you again on Tuesday."

"I am already looking forward to it Sam." Sam nods and the two of them leave.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam and Amistathya had just collected a couple of boxes just under half a metre a side and were heading towards the parking bay to get a shuttle. "You have to be kidding me a message is the last thing I need whilst carrying a box." The boxes were not too heavy but where a bit bulky. They reached the lift which gave Sam time to put his box down and read the message.

_Sam,_

_Sorry, I made a few changes to some of the details but no coloured skin is the main one._

_Fosanta_

"Awww, I was looking forward to making her blue. Ahh well."

"You do know you could do nothing Sam."

"No Ami as you would get really bored and I know you like to make something happen when you get bored." The pair head out of the lift and get a skycar back.

Kate was the first to the Skylounge and picked a nice seat in a corner a little out of the way. She just put her tray down when from behind her Fosanta appeared. "Did you have a good morning?"

"I had a bit of a difficult Salarian this morning. To be honest I find them a bit quick at talking which makes them a bit difficult to keep up with."

"I am sure you processed them as well as you could Kate which is all that can be expected." Kate nods as she digs into her food. "I wonder where Adastra and Seliha are."

"No idea."

"Well I am here. I still do not know about Seliha though. It could be to do with testing being tomorrow."

"You may have a point. Have you seen Sam this morning Adastra?"

"Not since I left the shuttle why?"

"I was wondering how long he stayed at Armali before heading back to the house?"

"Well he had to clear Athya with Usarta. He was then going to go for a quick talk before picking up the package and heading back. I have no idea how long all that would have taken. He may have decided to take an early lunch and is on now."

"My apologies for being late. There is so much more work to do for testing here than there is for Thessia."

"Would you like to say why Seliha?" Adastra curious as Seliha has tended to not be too open about her work in the past.

"Well the testing rooms on Thessia are permanently set up so it is just a matter of making sure everything is in the right place and working. Here the machinery gets moved around in between tests so it needs to be moved back before you can check it is working. It just takes extra time."

"If you needed any extra help Seliha do say as I do not have an awful lot of work on at the moment."

"I appreciate the offer Fosanta but we are coping well. I think it is just because it is the first time." Fosanta nods.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Hello Sam."

"I guess you are back from lunch then Adastra?"

"Yes, you took a while to get back."

"Sorry about that Adastra. Getting Ami through security took quite a while. I think I will have to leave her here while I go to work which I do not particularly like but it is less problematic."

"I understand why Usarta is cautious though." Sam nods. "Where is Athya anyway Sam?"

"She is looking through her boxes. Is the simulator still complaining about this design as, after your paint job on the pipes, it is clear there are no obvious problems."

"Yes, Armali have set specific design criteria which they would like to exceed and this design exceed the pressure, temperature and electrical isolation ones."

"What is the shortest mean path between something live and ground?"

"Armali like ten times breakdown, we have eight and a half."

"I think that would be fine but can we not use a different ceramic insulator design, one with more ridges. We should be able to get it well above ten."

"That sounds like a very good idea, especially for the twenty metre design as that will need to use a hundred thousand volt feed. I am still not convinced about the two extra twenty metre designs Sam."

"Could I ask why?"

"These twelve metre designs with the modifications we have made up to now use sixty four gigawatts of power each according to the simulator. The twenty metre designs you are talking over three hundred."

"Well Omepha said they had run two fifteens so that must mean they have probably have five hundred available, which would just about run the eight twelve metre designs. Oh I see what you mean; it would have meant we may have been able to not use extra generation."

"Exactly Sam."

"I apologise for making us extra work, but I really think it will make a large difference. I mean the twelve metre designs are going to look like two metre designs in that hanger." Sam hears Ami walk into the room and moves to the side of the console. "I am a little disappointed not to see something new Ami."

"I can show you one now if you would like Sam."

"I would greatly appreciate that Ami." She nods and leaves.

"So you did know what was in the boxes then Sam?"

"I knew it was clothing of some kind but what I have literally no idea Adastra. Do you think we should try scaling this design to a twenty metre design as I think this is about complete? There is not a lot we can do without actually testing a version."

"I will see about getting this made next week so we can see if it works. I think we should start the twenty metre design next week but not now."

"I guess it is not going to just be a simple scale of the design."

"It would be nice if it was but I agree. I guess Ami is there given the smile on your face Sam."

"I apologise but I am going to have to get a better look." Adastra laughs a little as Sam makes his way around the desk. Amistathya was wearing a full length dress which had gloves on the arms. The base colour was black with a strong blue colour at the bottom which gradually fades as it travels up the body. The white fingers on the gloves, and the white helix design up both arms and from the bottom of the skirt just finished it off. "That is much better than what I had in mind Ami. No one in their right mind could say you look average with that on." She blushes a little as she looks down. "Did you bend the helix a little to make your breasts look a little bigger?"

"I thought it looked aesthetically better like that Sam. It made me look a little flat chested if I did not do so."

"So is this the one you had been thinking about for ages?"

"No Sam this is a different one I came up with. Both are the same silicone rubber material which feels very nice on my skin." Sam gives her a hug before realising something and holding her at arms length.

"Is it not warm Ami?"

"It is not too bad Sam. The material is 3d printed and is ten percent holes. The holes are so small you cannot see through the material but it keeps you relatively cool." Sam smiles.

"Now that is a good idea. I am really intrigued what the other design is now. Could I ask you to show the others when they get back as I am sure they will appreciate it?"

"I will Sam." Sam goes for another hug but Amistathya goes for a kiss instead.

"You really know how to tease me Ami." Ami smiles as Sam sighs with a laugh. He gives her a quick hug before walking back to the console, a large smile on his face. "I do not think I can concentrate now Adastra. She looks so beautiful and sexy without showing anything."

"Sam please can you look over the design quickly before I go and see about getting it made." Sam nods and gets to work having a quick look over to see if he can see any obvious failures. "It looks ok to me and as long as the simulator is not complaining about things will go wrong then I would get it made." Sam sitting back in the seat.

"Thank you Sam. I will leave you with Athya now." Sam laughs and gives Adastra a nod. He closes the connection before getting up from the seat.

"I believe my wonderful one deserves something, so think of something you would like Ami."

"Could I instead make a request for tomorrow?"

"I would like to hear it but there are no guarantees."

"You will not ask me to show my markings."

"Ok I will not ask you to show your markings but you are still free to do so yourself. Quite why you think I would force you to show them I do not quite know." Sam still not quite sure how to play tomorrow as one servant is enough of a handful. "How about we get a drink and wait for the others to get back." Amistathya nods and follows Sam downstairs.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate and Fosanta arrive back first and walk through the front door to see Sam sitting on the seating. "Where is Athya Sam?"

"She is just taking the mugs back to the kitchen. Did you both have a good day?"

"It was just preparing for the bioamp testing tomorrow so not too bad." Sam nods and looks to Kate.

"It was fairly usual, clients with large egos as usual. I..." Sam could only laugh.

"I know it is a bit of a change from plain and white Kate but is it that much?"

"Athya you look great, it is just a shock as we have never seen you in anything other than plain white, baggy clothing."

"I agree with Kate. I never knew you had such a wonderful body Amistathya. I can see now why Sam loves you so much." Sam looks around and pats his knee, Amistathya happily takes the offer.

"I take that you two approve of her choice then?" The pair of them nod as Adastra and Seliha walk in.

"I really like that design Athya. I can see why Sam was struggling to concentrate earlier." Amistathya has a broad smile on her face as she nods to Adastra before looking to Sam.

"You seem to suit the quiet elegance of a dress Athya. The design is not over the top but is bold enough to make it difficult to look away."

"I think you best go and get changed Ami before you have everyone ogling you all evening." She nods with a small purple tinge to her cheeks before leaving. "Did you have a good day Seliha?"

"It was very, very busy, but it is all ready for tomorrow. I am going to need an early night though."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra, Seliha, Sam and Amistathya had already gone to bed leaving Kate and Fosanta just finishing a drink in the kitchen before turning in for the night. "So do I get to meld tonight Fosanta?"

"Kate I am going to be honest with you. I really would have liked to have proved you have no choice this weekend but I have a lot to do. I did however say I would make getting a meld more difficult this time so I would like you to sign a form to get you into next weeks bioamp testing."

"What do I need one of those for?" Kate was clearly getting a little suspicious now.

"It is a non disclosure agreement which you need since you do not work in the biotics department. I guess I am sort of showing my hand a little basically giving you the date and the place so I will make it easier Kate. If you sign it I will meld with you tonight and I will also shower with you tomorrow night. If you do not then you get neither."

"Great so I basically have no choice now let alone next week."

"You do have a choice as it is not like I am saying we will never meld again. It is just I would like you to go next weekend and I need to get the paperwork sorted out. To do that however I need your co-operation so to get that I am giving you an incentive. Will you agree Kate?" Fosanta was giving nothing away in her expression.

"Not signing means this is going to keep going on. Where is the datapad you would like signing?"

"It is upstairs Kate." She finishes the last of her drink and follows Fosanta to their room. "I will apologise in advance if tonight is the same as last week but tomorrow in the shower should compensate." Fosanta quickly strips before helping Kate do the same.

"Do you not want me to sign first Fosanta?" She ignores Kate and continues running her hands over her body while kissing her neck. Kate seems to relent and begin to reciprocate. The two of them jump onto the bed each one seemingly trying to take control of the other. Fosanta leans to the bedside table and picks up the datapad with one hand while pushing a couple of fingers into Kate.

"If you could just sign Kate then we can get to the fun." Fosanta moving her fingers inside Kate to keep her concentration in the bedroom rather than on the pad. She quickly signs without really looking and Fosanta throws the pad from the bed before going in for a long kiss. Kate goes for a single finger in Fosanta's hole to begin with, quickly adding a second as her finger becomes more sodden. "Embrace eternity." Kate and Fosanta both add a third finger almost simultaneously which pushes them both over the edge. Fosanta goes in for another kiss just before breaking the meld. The pair of them are too breathless to maintain it long afterwards.

"I could never tire of you Fosanta. You seem to know just how to make me melt. It was wonderful."

"I am glad you enjoyed it as I definitely did. Thank you Kate. I am going to have to clean myself up now as I will not have time tomorrow morning as I need to be leaving at eight thirty."

"I can wait as I have all day tomorrow and I am tired now." Fosanta smiles as she discretely picks up the datapad as Kate climbs under the sheets and walks into the bathroom. It is not too long before she reappears and jumps in the bed. "I hope you sleep well Kate."

"I will Fosanta. I hope you do too." Kate shuffles over and gives Fosanta a kiss and a hug before moving back to her side and Fosanta turns the light off.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**I bet you can all guess what is to happen in the next chapter. I make no apologies for making this a bit of a cliff-hanger but you can find out on the 21st of July what happens.**

**Appreciation to all those who are continually reading and if everyone who is new could bookmark the story in some way then it would be much appreciated.**


	38. Chapter 38 : Testing

**Chapter 38 - Testing**

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday 4th February 2017<strong>

Kate and Fosanta walk into the kitchen to find Adastra and Seliha there. "I am guessing given you both look happy this morning that you melded again?"

"Yes Seliha, did you have a good night?"

"We had a bit of fun before bed which I really needed as it was a stressful day." Adastra puts her arm around Seliha before they both look at each other and share a short kiss.

"I am glad to see you two seem to be finally settling." Sam walking in with Amistathya behind.

"Seliha is opening up a little now which is making us both more comfortable Sam."

"I feel happy for both of you. I am also guessing from Kate looking rather fresh that you two also had fun last night?"

"Yes Sam and I am getting a shower tonight which I am looking forward too."

"That sounds good; you will have to tell me what it is like as it is difficult for me to find out yet."

"Why Sam?"

"I need to both become numb to Ami's past as well as learn how to control where to look. It is just going to take time."

"Ahh." Kate decides not to say anything else as Sam and Amistathya sit down to begin breakfast.

"We are going to have to leave now you three. We should be back just after five." Adastra being the designated driver for the day.

"Have fun and I hope you do not break something or confuse the machinery again." Adastra laughs a little before nodding. Seliha nods and Fosanta gives Kate a quick kiss before leaving. "A kiss before she leaves, that is nice. Are you two getting on well now Kate?"

"Well we seem to be growing closer and I am not quite as afraid as I was previously."

"That is good to hear." Sam takes another mouthful of breakfast before putting the spoon back down. "I hope you do not mind me asking but I think Ami is still testing me and I was wondering what you would be most scared of her testing you with."

"You mean like messing with my mind?"

"Yes those sort of things that you would definitely not want to happen Kate. I promise not to tell Fosanta as that would be mean. I for example would hate to be naked in front of others. I barely coped with you and Fosanta second day here. I was just glad bright red covered the embarrassment." Kate laughs a little.

"I would feel the same Sam as it is just a bit uncomfortable but really anything where I feel I have no say scares me."

"So you are more bothered about what she could do with your mind?"

"Yes Sam. You seem to be coping ok with Athya though."

"Oh that is the advantage of her being in a contract. She knows there is a limit to how far she can push before I push back. Which unfortunately did not apply on either Thessia or the Citadel which is where most of the fun occurred. Ami is extremely sharp minded at using situations to the best of her advantage."

"So because the contract did not apply she did things you would be against because she could get away with it?"

"Exactly Kate." Sam gets a message which he duly reads.

_Sam,_

_The datapad is in our spare room, second drawer down._

_Fosanta_

Sam shows the message to Amistathya who gets up and leaves the room. "So..." Sam hears the door chime, "I will get it." He gets up from his seat to go and answer it. "Oh good morning." Sam seeing two Asari with five boxes stacked by the door, one longer than the rest.

"Good Morning. I believe it was a desk and four chairs Sam?"

"Indeed it was."

"Could you just sign here?" Sam makes sure he uses an ambiguous squiggle and that it is indeed for the proof of delivery.

"Thank you, have a good day."

"You too." Sam thinks he hears the Asari mutter something about it being a pity he seems to already have a partner. He just smiles to himself before dragging the packages in and propping them up against the banister of the staircase. Amistathya helps with the last two before the pair of them head back to the kitchen.

"Who was it Sam?"

"It was my desk and chairs for the basement. I am sure they will be fun to put up. I have a strange question for you Kate. How mean do you think Fosanta could be if she tried?"

"Well she has been a little mean in the bedroom but she seems fairly honest and does not seem to want to be mean. Why do you ask?" Sam checks the time and given it was two minutes before the contract begins he thinks it is a good time to come clean.

"Before you accuse me of anything Kate this was in no way my idea it was all Fosanta."

"I am not liking the sound of this. Would you like to explain everything Sam?"

"Yes. The datapad you signed last night was to prove you had no choice even though you did."

"Great. Hang on, how do you know about this?"

"I was told yesterday morning what Fosanta was planning. I do not think Adastra and Seliha know about this."

"Why did you not tell me Sam?"

"It was to prove a point and it was between you and Fosanta at that point. Anyway carefully have a look at the datapad you signed last night." Sam hands over the pad to Kate who seems to be in shock. "I never thought Fosanta had it in her to be quite so mean to be honest but she knows you both despise the idea of indentured servants and you like to have control. In this case you are one and have no control."

"No Sam. I am not doing this. This is just silly."

"I will tell you how today is going to work. If you do as I say then everyone will be happy. If you beg, do not do as you are told or moan about something that is asked of you it will be Ami who gets the punishment. The reverse will also be true unless I think Ami is deliberately being difficult. Is that clear Kate?"

"I cannot believe she would do such a thing. I am not playing this silly game."

"Ami please crouch down on the floor making sure the heals of your feet are off the ground." She compiles with no fuss or bother in full view of Kate. "Kate it is you who is hurting Ami now. She will be there five minutes and five minutes more for each time you ignore me. If she fails then it is you who gets punished. So are we clear about how everything works?"

"Could you not do this Sam?"

"Ten minutes Ami. Kate this is simple. I will not make you harm yourself and I will cause no lasting damage. Just forget about having a choice for the next few hours. Are we clear on the way punishments are to be handled Kate?"

"Yes Sam."

"I would really appreciate you dropping the you are doing this to humour me voice. I would like you to take on the one main rule Ami has which is unless you have a need for your arms they are to be folded behind you, the palm of each on the opposite elbow." Kate does as she is asked but looks non too impressed about it. "let me put your mind at rest Kate. The only thing I have planned for today is to sort the basement out, which is basically put up the four chairs and the desk then move everything to the right place. Does that sound like a difficult day?"

"No Sam." Sam was starting to wonder if the curt replies were because Kate is really trying her hardest or whether it is just her being difficult. Sam checks on Ami since she has only a couple of minutes left which she completes without too much drama. Sam helps her to stand.

"I believe you have something to say to Ami Kate." Sam thinking that was enough of a hint and goes to pick up two identical cups. He gets back to just see a confused look on Kate's face. "Kate you have something to say, it is really obvious. Ami could you put your arms out to your side with the palm of you hand upwards and level with your shoulders." Sam carefully places a cup on each hand. "Two minutes for Kate to think of what she should do. I know what will happen soon if this continues." Sam takes the cups away and Amistathya stretches her arms.

"Why are you doing this?" Sam sighs.

"I have a question for you to answer Kate. Are you scared?"

"Of course I am Sam."

"Ami do you have some advice for Kate?"

"Sam is very kind to give us a lot of freedom Kate. However if you mess up in whatever way, do not resist or complain and just accept it as Sam likes playing on your fears." Sam waits for a minute or so.

"Kate all you needed to do was tell Ami you apologise for messing up and thank you for taking the punishment. I am going to have to make you learn some way so. There are four chairs in boxes in boxes by the stairs. I will give you two minutes to move them downstairs but you must carry them with your arms straight out in front of you." Sam gets up and Amistathya knows what is happening and follows. Kate finally gets the hint and follows. Sam picks one of the chairs up holding the box on its sides with his arms straight out. "This is how I want you to carry them. If you bend your elbows then you know what happens. Ami could you go down to the basement and check that her arms are straight." She nods and leaves as Sam puts the box down and stands back. "Your two minutes start now." Kate picks up the first box and moves quickly down the stairs.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra and Seliha were sat on a chair in a room near the testing room waiting for their turn. "So why is the testing done over two separate weekends?"

"Testing is quite physically tiring as each individual is using their biotics heavily for up to an hour. We need to ensure that the tiredness does not affect the results so next week the same tests are performed but the opposite way around. That way we can work out how much tiredness is affecting the results and the computer can estimate what should be possible."

"That makes sense."

"Well testing seems to be going well up to now." Fosanta walking in and sitting down next to Adastra to take a bit of a break. "I do not have an awful lot to do at the moment until it is your turn Adastra."

"You know I dislike being treated differently Fosanta."

"I apologise Adastra but we only have two individuals on the pulsar testing compared to the forty on the nebula test and the other pulsar tester is on Thessia. Unfortunately you are always going to feel you are treated a little differently because of you being the only pulsar tester here." Fosanta's omni-tool beeps.

"I guess it is just because I am different in this case." Fosanta nods before reading her message.

_Fosanta,_

_She is doing well, failed everything up to now. I will do my best to change that._

_Sam_

"What is it as you look a little worried Fosanta?"

"I am a little as I have been working with Whesiva on a new design the last couple of days to get the sensors working on it. It was a message saying they are still not working but I am required to be here and the amps have to be finished by Monday to start manufacture for the next round of testing. She has asked if I would like to stay with her tonight so we can bounce ideas off each other."

"What will Kate think?"

"I am sure she will be fine about it Seliha. I did say we would have a shower together tonight but it will have to be moved to Sunday night instead. Unfortunately these things happen."

"They do, but it should be a one off so..."

"Exactly what I am thinking Adastra. Are you two ok if I leave you until your testing time? I think you are in two hours time." The two of them nod and Fosanta leaves.

"If it is two hours then I could show you one of the ion thrusters I saw yesterday as the output is rather nice."

"I would appreciate that Adastra." The two of them walk out and towards the propulsion building.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Last chair Kate and you have twenty seven seconds." Sam had seen a steady decline in time so he was not holding too much hope of her succeeding this time either. Kate arrives back with four seconds left a little out of breath. "Be honest, did you bend your arms Kate?" Amistathya reappears to stand off to one side waiting for Sam to come to her.

"I did as my arms felt like they were burning."

"How many times Ami?"

"Twice, she also asked me to keep the first time from you." Kate looks annoyed at Amistathya.

"Thank you Ami. Kate I do not know why you are looking angry at her as it is Ami who will be punished for it. Ami could you help me carry this desk to the basement." The three of them head down the stairs and put the desk box on the floor. "I am not going to be popular with either of you for the next plan but I would like you both in a minute to put the four chairs together." Sam goes to the pack of black fabric and cuts a strip off. "Do either of you have any questions?"

"No Sam." Sam expected that response from Kate.

"How would you like us to do that Sam?" Kate looks a little confused.

"I see Ami remembered her punishment. I would like you from this point forward not to speak. Do you understand Ami?" She nods. "Kate since you have been consistently failing it would be unfair for me to hurt Ami any more since she is doing a good job. I would like you therefore to remove all your clothes."

"Please Sam. I will try harder."

"Do you not think about Ami at all before you speak Kate. Anyway either you remove all your clothes or I get all eight commandos around here and they can help you."

"You would not do that Sam."

"Ami would you kindly go and bring Hymara and Lianta here?" She nods and leaves.

"Please Sam no I will do anything."

"All I want you do to Kate is co-operate with me. I am really trying not to hurt you but I am very tempted to right now. I would like you to strip and let me tie your hands together. If you do so before Ami gets back then I will go and tell Hymara and Lianta they are not needed." Kate quickly sheds her clothes while Sam cuts a length of rope. By the time Sam had done so Kate was stood with her arms out. Sam quickly binds her hands together and ensures the knot is tight before heading up the stairs.

"Ami said you wanted us Sam."

"Well I would like a quick talk. I would like not too many questions and this is ok with everyone." The two of them nod. "Fosanta gave Kate a forced choice of being my servant for the day but she is being particularly difficult. If you like you could come down to the basement and say hello if you wish."

"I would really like to know what is happening with everyone in this house."

"You can ask her yourself although I doubt you will get many answers as he has no idea what is happening." Lianta nods and the four of them walk down the stairs.

"I thought you said you would turn them away Sam?" Kate going a deep red and trying to cover as much as possible.

"I lied given you need to learn I will do as I say. I am sure you know Hymara and Lianta."

"Sam said you were forced to choose this Kate? I just need to know that this is true."

"It is Lianta. I should have spent a few seconds reading the datapad instead of thinking about melding."

"If Amistathya has any say in all of this you are going to have a long day Kate. I think we best leave you now." Sam nods and the two of them leave.

"Sam could I point out that Fosanta had changed the end time on the contract to tomorrow lunch time."

"While I did specifically tell you not to speak Ami that was useful information to me so I will let you off. That does however mean Fosanta will not be coming back to the house then tonight."

"We were going to have a shower." Kate sounding a little upset.

"Kate. This was Fosanta's idea so all you need to do is your absolute best. Can you do that?"

"I think so."

"Ok I would like you and Ami to work together to put the chairs together. I would like you blindfolded Kate. If you try to remove it then there will be very big problems."

"I understand." Sam picks up the piece of fabric he cut off earlier and ties it around Kate's head.

"Can you see anything at all Kate?"

"No Sam."

"Good. Ami Kate cannot see anything so I would like you to help her with nothing on as well." Ami quickly strips everything off. "Ami you cannot touch any tools and given you cannot speak this is going to be a little difficult. I would like you to work with Kate to put the four chairs together. You have a couple of hours before lunch."

"I am really scared now Sam."

"Kate think about what you have to do. Ami will not harm you and to be honest she is probably more scared than you are as you could easily bruise her and he hates being naked around others." Sam ripping open the desk box and looking at something approaching a box of Tetris blocks. "Oh this is going to be fun." Sam looks at the instructions and sees that it is actually quite simple and the only tool you need is something that looked like an Allen key to lock the joints into place.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Fosanta knocks on Whesiva's door and she hears a come in from inside. She walks in to see Whesive looking rather tired. "Did you not sleep well last night Whesiva?"

"No Fosanta as I spotted one design flaw late last night which might have caused problems. Are you still coming back with me tonight?"

"Yes if that is ok." Whesiva nods. "I am actually glad you offered as I would rather be away from the house tonight."

"Why Fosanta?"

"I tricked Kate into being Sam's servant until tomorrow lunch time. I wish I had the strength to have done it myself but Sam seems to have treated Amistathya well so I thought he was a safe choice."

"I have no idea why you are doing this but I can see why it may be a bit difficult to go back."

"I will tell you a little more later but I need to head back to testing." Whesiva nods and Fosanta leaves.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Seliha and Adastra enter the observation room to the ion thruster testing hall. There was a five metre diameter thruster currently running a burn in test in the middle of the hall. "Oh I like the blue hue that is coming from the engine Adastra."

"It is rather nice. It is just a pity they are almost useless for giving any decent thrust."

"So why do Armali make them then?"

"High speed, high quality machinery and very low labour costs make them rather profitable I guess. I know there are a lot more servants who work in ion propulsion than in plasma propulsion."

"Could I actually see a thruster up close sometime in one of these halls?"

"I will see about getting you a visit to see the twenty metre one myself and Sam are to make. I would not be surprised if you could feel it throughout the building." Seliha smiles.

"I would be very grateful if I could see that Adastra. I have heard you having reservations about them though."

"Well I would not be surprised if we are close to the power limit for the testing hall given we are going to have to drive the radio frequency amplifiers very hard to make them produce sound."

"Could I ask why Sam did not take the idea of using conventional speakers?"

"They would need to probably be fibre optically connected given the amount we would need and it would be very difficult to get enough air movement for low frequencies. I think he also thought it would be easier to just ask Armali for a few thrusters than to try to work out who could deliver conventional speakers."

"I think I understand now. Do you know what we are going to do for the event?"

"I have no idea. We will probably have to discuss it next Sunday given Fosanta seems to be working tomorrow." Seliha nods. "We should be getting back before we miss our testing slot."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"That was not too bad to build actually. Certainly easier than the flat pack stuff I have put up previously." Sam admired the desk for a few moments before looking at how the two are progressing with the chairs. "Three out of four is not bad. How are you doing Kate?"

"I found it difficult at first as Athya is very delicate with her touch so it was hard to work out what she wanted me to do."

"I am glad to hear you are starting to work together. If you finish the fourth chair before I finish making dinner I will let both of you have one reward each."

"So that means I can free my hands, remove my blindfold or get dressed then Sam?"

"Yes Kate, although if you choose to get dressed then I will tie your arms behind you as per the rule after you have put everything on. Anyway have a think about it. You may wish to request a different reward." Sam leaves the two of them to get on with it.

"What do you think I should do Athya?" She stays quiet and continues on with building. "I am sure you can talk now and be safe." Amistathya puts her finger on Kate's lips to keep her quiet before continuing.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra and Seliha walk out of the testing room towards the Skylounge. "I see what you mean about it being physically tiring Seliha."

"You really need more practice if you are tired already Adastra. There is a reason we are here all day and it is not to sit around. You still have control testing to do yet today."

"Really?"

"Yes. I have amplifier testing yet to do which I saw you doing just before you came out."

"Yes Fosanta told me it looked like a waste but they were storing the data anyway. I do wish they would ask you to do things nicely. While I understand some of them may well not be getting paid much to do that job the least they could be is nice."

"I agree but you get used to it. The Skylounge should be emptier today anyway so we can get a nice table."

"It is hardly a restaurant though is it?"

"It is but I get your point. How about a night in Nos Astra tonight and I will find somewhere within walking distance to sleep for the night. We can tell the commandos to pick us up tomorrow afternoon."

"That actually sounds like a great idea Seliha as it is not like we have had much time for just ourselves."

"That is a good point. I also know a restaurant which is a little out of the way but is popular and tends to be fairly busy."

"Would you not need to book a table if it is popular?"

"No they know I have markings and they have offered me a job as a waitress on numerous occasions but I could never live with everyone knowing what I look like. They do like employing unique or perfect individuals there."

"Ahh so this is one of these walk to the front of the queue and get in things." Seliha nods with a smile as they walk along the skybridge to the Skylounge. "Sounds good and since Fosanta is out and Sam has Athya and Kate for company I am sure everyone will be happy with it." Seliha opens her Omni-tool and starts making arrangements.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam looks across from the stairs to see Kate and Amistathya sitting next to the fourth completed chair. "I actually congratulate you both on completing the chairs in time. Before we go for lunch could I ask what you would both like as a reward, Ami first."

"I would like to keep mine for later if that is ok with you Sam?"

"It must be redeemed before tomorrow. Are you happy enough about that Ami?" She nods. "What about you Kate?"

"I would like my blindfold removing Sam."

"I will do so in a minute. Ami you are free to speak as that restriction was only for the duration of the chair building. Are you happy not to be covered up?"

"Could I get dressed temporarily and then regain my reward when I change into the other dress I had made."

"Only if it is very very good Ami."

"Well I really like it so I will take the risk." Sam nods and Amistathya walks to her pile of clothes and quickly puts them on.

"Kate I will remove your blindfold now. Just take your time." Sam loosens the knot and pulls it off Kate's head. "Happy Kate?"

"It is better when I can see." Sam nods and the three of them head upstairs and sit down in the kitchen to eat. "The only problem I have now is eating with my hands tied together."

"If you can think of something else to swap to then I will let your hands free Kate."

"Do you have any examples?"

"That punishment was instead of Ami getting it so I think Ami should suggest an alternative."

"I would like Kate to have a matching piece of rope around her neck to mine Sam." Kate looks a little surprised.

"Kate you do not have to do it and I will show you what I had in mind after food. If I release you though and you back out you will be sleeping on the floor tonight. It would however not impact you in any way unlike having your arms tied together."

"I will reluctantly take the offer as it is starting to hurt my wrists." Kate holds her arms out and Sam takes a minute to get the knot undone.

"Remember the one rule now applies Kate just to remind you." Kate nods before filling her face.

"May I go to change Sam?"

"Hold on a second." Sam uses the piece of rope he has just untied from kate to measure how big he needs to make the design. "Ok Ami. We will be in the top room when you are done." She nods and leaves. "I am just going to get the rope and then I will head upstairs. Join us when you are done Kate." She nods and Sam leaves.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra and Seliha are back waiting for the last part of the testing. Seliha puts away her Omni-tool and leans back. "I can confirm we have a nice bed not far from the restaurant."

"I can barely wait... Could we walk from the city centre as I have had an idea?"

"Given the grin on your face I think I will like it. Of course." Adastra gives Seliha a hug. "We just need to collect a few things from the house and then leave."

"I think we should get out before five so we should be in Nos Astra for five thirty. This is sounding brilliant."

"I agree but testing will not wait for us." Adastra nods in agreement before the two of them head back to the testing room.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate joins Sam in the top room. He was half way through tightly plaiting one piece of rope. "I guess you can see what I have in mind Kate. This one is for Ami as I know how big to make it. You are free to make your own in the same way if you wish." Sam holds out a length of the blue rope with yellow strips in it to Kate.

"I will let you make it Sam so you know it is the same." Sam nods before finishing off the current one. It is only a couple of seconds after he finishes the last twist before he hears Amistathya coming up the stairs.

"Ami do not come in yet and could you face down the stairs please." Sam goes over to the doorway and finds her a couple of steps from the top facing away from the door. Sam carefully puts the rope work around her neck before tying it off tight. Sam cuts off the extra length from the knot. "I would like to see you properly in the room but I am impressed by the first look." She turns her head and smiles as Sam goes back to the table start the next one.

Amistathya walks into the room in an essentially clear dress at first glance. "Your markings are beautiful Athya. I really like them." She smiles to Kate.

"This is Ami and would never be any other individual. Would you like to explain everything about it to Kate and myself?" Sam able to see everything he wishes to from where he is sat.

"Well the design is basically an old 15mm bioamp holder design made into a dress which has inbuilt legs, feet, long sleeves and gloves. The core colour is five percent pearlescent blue which goes from a light blue to a slate grey depending upon the light direction. The skirt is entirely transparent. The section which holds the bioamp in separates at the back and is held closed by a bioamp or in my case a dummy equivalent. The hole in the back to get in is not very long so it would be literally impossible for me to remove it to go to the toilet. Therefore there is a small hole which I can urinate through." Kate looks shocked.

"You mean you have to urinate while still wearing the dress. Does it not seep down your leg?"

"No Kate as the material around that area is tight to prevent that from happening."

"Is the holder still functional for 15mm units Ami?"

"Yes I was tempted to make it smaller but I thought I would keep it as it was designed. I actually find 15mm quite comfortable as in my previous contract I was requested to wear an active limiter of this size."

"I never knew that either Ami. About all I can say is you do look so effortlessly attractive in the dress which met the design brief of being you. I see Kate is still trying to work out what has just happened. Would you like to share what you are thinking?"

"Why would anyone ever create something so impractical? Admittedly it looks aesthetically wonderful with your markings Athya but it makes no sense to me."

"Which is why I said it is Ami and no one else Kate. Ami you have definitely earnt your reward back."

"Thank you Sam. I must also thank you Kate for the kind words on my markings. As Adastra and Seliha have probably told you, they have not always got praise in the past. Well they got me mistreated, verbally abused and tortured. If I was a weaker individual I would have tattooed over them but as Sam knows they are me and I am them." Kate looks confused to Sam who was nearly finished creating a matching rope collar. Sam looks up after finishing to see the confusion.

"I apologise. Ami is correct the markings have her name so they are her." Sam walks over to Kate and ties the collar around her neck. "Is it comfortable?"

"It is ok Sam. It is not like I have to wear it for days."

"Yours is a little looser than Ami's, however I wanted to ensure that hers did not get snagged on something and it bruise her neck."

"I meant I am not too fussed as long as it is not choking me Sam." He nods. "What do you mean by the markings named Athya?" Sam looks to Amistathya.

"My name if you expand it out means pale stemmed five petalled flower Kate."

"Kate the caps on her five fingers, the braid down her arms and the root like ends." Amistathya holds her arm in the air and separates her fingers to give a better idea.

"That is rather impressive."

"I said roughly same thing Kate. Now you know why Ami could not be Ami without the markings." Kate nods. "We should think about getting you out of the dress if you do not wish Adastra or Seliha to see you. You did mention yesterday that you would like to keep your markings covered."

"I remember but I actually do not particularly mind Sam as it is very comfortable and since they also have markings then I do not think I have to worry. I would like a drink though."

"I would as well actually. Then we can rearrange the basement back to something approaching normal." The three of then head to the kitchen to get a drink before moving to the basement.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I think having the control test at the end is the worst idea ever. I am very tried now."

"I hope it is not going to impact our evening." Seliha putting her arm around Adastra as the two of them head to the shuttle.

"Adastra, Seliha. Could I still get a lift back with you?" Fosanta quickly walking behind them to catch up.

"Of course Fosanta. I am surprised testing finished an hour early."

"There were a few people who did not turn up Adastra." Adastra nods. "So what are you two going to do tonight?" The three of them getting into the lift and going up twelve floors to the shuttle.

"Seliha is treating myself to a meal and somewhere nice to sleep."

"That sounds very nice. I wish I had the spare time this weekend but perhaps another weekend."

"I am sure she will understand you are busy."

"I hope so Seliha." The three of them get into the shuttle and head back to the house.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Actually I have just thought if Fosanta is not coming back then why did she not take anything with her this morning."

"I have no idea Sam." Kate wondering if she did it so she could check up on how she is doing.

"In that case Kate if she does come then I would like you to only answer questions. If she asks you to do something then do so. You must however not touch her or ask her any questions. Is that all clear?"

"I will try Sam but it was excessively mean."

"I really hope you did not intentionally imply I am excessively mean Kate."

"No Sam." The three of them had got the corner looking reasonably pleasant with the black fabric covering the concrete walls, the computer on the desk and the four seats before Sam hears the front door.

"I am guessing testing finished early. You two coming?" Sam climbing the stairs and seeing Seliha first. "How was testing Seliha?"

"It was fairly normal, how was your day?"

"It was a bit of an oddly strange one Seliha. Hello Adastra." Sam seeing her coming down the stairs.

"Hello Sam. Myself and Seliha would like a night to ourselves so we are going to go somewhere tonight for a meal and a nice bed. We shou...ld be back tomorrow afternoon." Seliha wondered why Adastra had paused until she followed where she was looking.

"Oh my." Fosanta walks out of her bedroom to see Adastra and Seliha looking at a point behind Sam which was not clear from her position.

"Hello Fosanta. I figured you would be back for a few things. She has been quite a bit better after scaring her." Fosanta makes no response as she descends the stairs getting to where Adastra is before realising what they were all looking at. "My eyes are not deceiving me are they?" Fosanta walking down the rest of the stairs. "What have you done with Amistathya Sam?"

"Absolutely nothing Fosanta. She is wearing something she has designed with no input from myself and she willingly volunteered to show you all."

"It seems we may have made some incorrect assumptions in that case. Your markings are brilliant and your very subtly coloured dress is visually immaculate. I can see why he has taken such a liking to you." Amistathya seems to be going a little shy and purple at the praise and the amount of people looking at her.

"I agree with Seliha in that maybe we have had the wrong idea about you Amistathya. Your body does look very pleasing to the eye." Adastra moves past Sam and gives Amistathya a cautious hug.

"You have a wonderful opportunity to prove those in your past wrong Athya. Please take it with both hands and beat them to death with it." She nods and Adastra goes to stand next to Seliha. "Have a good night Sam. Are we good to go?" Seliha nods.

"I hope you both have a good time." Sam shouts getting a nod from the two of them before the door closes. "I really hope this has not ruined her evening."

"You think it might?"

"It depends on Seliha realising she needs just a bit of comforting as I think it may have been a little close to her past. Anyway would you like to know anything about Kate Fosanta?"

"No Sam but perhaps Seliha may have been a better choice."

"Could I ask why Fosanta?"

"I will speak to you outside." Sam nods and the two of them leave the house. Kate sits down on a seat.

"Why is she being so cold to me? What have I done?"

"Kate. You have about nineteen hours of this left. I know it may be easy for me to say who has experienced this for years but from what I hear you are a strong willed individual. Do not let this get to you."

"What is the point?"

"You can make the remaining time easier for yourself by being as youe when Sam left Kate."

"Can you be quiet please?" Amistathya nods and turns back around.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Sam I do apologise immensely for being cold in there but I need her to see you as the person to look towards, not me. Now is going to be the test, if she leaves then she was not right for me."

"I understand that. She does seem to have made improvements but that may have been through willpower, thinking there is only so many hours left until you get back."

"I would like that breaking which I do not think would take much now Sam. This is hurting me more than you could understand but I am really interested in Kate being a father and I need to know she will be there for her as she grows up. Asari children can occasionally be, imaginatively difficult and it is sometimes difficult for a father from an alien species to feel a bond to them."

"I guess that is from them having no direct involvement in their creation?"

"Not really Sam. It is just that Asari can meld with their daughters to make that connection early. Individuals such as yourself have to wait until they can sufficiently control their nervous systems to meld, usually around their mid teens. I have heard rumours of people trying a four way meld but it never seems to end well."

"There is always someone willing to try. I think this will be most fun for myself and Ami given we are both on the dangerous list."

"If she forms a connection with you and she does as she is told then I assume she would be ok. I do agree with full melds though. It could be why Amistathya seems to be testing you more than usual."

"I know that all too well Fosanta. I have the relative safety of a contract to let me cope a bit better but we have decided to end it at the end of the month. Please do not tell Adastra and Seliha."

"I will not Sam. I must be going so I hope Kate does not cause you too many problems, but please remember anything not explicitly forbidden you can do. I can think of some things I would hate you to do but if it has to be then do so. I will see you early tomorrow afternoon."

"I understand. I hope you sleep well." Fosanta nods and leaves. Sam turns around and goes back into the house to see Kate looking a little upset on a chair. "Kate. I have nothing against you sitting but you have one rule and you have failed again with it." Sam sighs.

"I do not care Sam."

"Oh you do Kate. I mean I have had Ami tell me she hated me and she would have crippled me with biotics. Funnily enough not long after that she seemed to warm up to the idea of living here. I think you are going through the same process Kate."

"I am bored of this game; I want to stop playing it and leave."

"Unfortunately until lunchtime tomorrow you cannot leave Kate. Also this has never been a game."

"Leave me alone." Kate gets up and goes to her room.

"This is about the time I need some help Ami."

"What would you like help with Sam?"

"What to do with her as I really do not want to take her into Nos Astra as the journalists will get the wrong ideas. I would happily take you but not Kate so I need something else."

"Do you have any black material and rope left Sam?"

"I went a bit mad when getting the rope so I think there is still about ten metres left. Not really much material left though. What are you thinking?"

"Suspending her upside down from one of the metal ceiling beams in the basement. It is physically tough but it needs to be given she has just walked off."

"I assume given Adastra and Seliha are in Nos Astra that Imphaya and Aumarva will be out. I am going to need everyone else though. Would you be willing bring them here Ami as I am aware you still have your dress on?"

"Of course." Ami giving Sam a smile before leaving. Sam quickly goes to the basement and brings up a box and the spare rope which he puts down on the floor.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Ami knocks on the door and Lianta answers. "Hel..."

"I apologise for the rather revealing clothing Lianta but Sam would like everyone to see him in the sitting area." Lianta nods and goes into the house. Amistathya walks back before she holds up Sam's plan by letting everyone look at her. She walks in to find Sam looking in a box. "I think Lianta was a little shocked at how I was dressed but they are going to come across. What are you looking for?"

"Adastra had a fabric mesh holder which I thought would be good as a harness as the straps are wide so it would not dig in. Ahh there it is." Sam pulls it out of the box and holds it up. "It might be a bit of a pain to get the ropes through it but it is better than nothing."

"I think it will be fine Sam. I will wait in the kitchen so as not to distract everyone."

"Good idea." She nods and leaves. It is a couple of minutes before the six commandos walk into the house. "It is good to see you all."

"What is happening Sam?"

"Fosanta tricked Kate into being my servant until tomorrow lunch time Kalawa as a test. She seemed to think this was all a game until Fosanta came back about half an hour ago. She seems to have taken the fact it is not rather badly."

"So where is she?"

"In her room I think Swathana. I am guessing I may need to message Fosanta for the unlock code to the door. Anyway given her not following rules and walking off I need to make a stand so I need your help to tie her arms and legs together and put this on her." Sam held up the holder. "If any of you are unwilling to help then you can leave."

"Why would you need to put the holder on her Sam?"

"Yasmari, I know it may be difficult for you to do this as I know you are meant to be protecting her. I am not intending to harm her just make a very strong point so the idea was to suspend her upside down in the basement."

"Is there nothing else you could do?" Yasmari a little surprised at the suggested plan.

"Unless you would like to take her for a walk around Nos Astra with nothing on then I cannot think of anything. I would rather not give the journalists their main news article for tomorrow."

"I think we will all help you Sam as long as you promise to keep an eye on her."

"I can do that Swathana." Sam hoping she will break before bed time. "I need two of you on each exit she can take. The aim is to get the holder on her and let me tie her arms and legs together." All of them nod as Sam cuts a couple of pieces of rope and hands the holder to Yasmari. They all then proceed up the stairs to find the door locked predictably. "Kate this is not a game. If you unlock the door now then I will make what is to happen easier. For each minute you delay I will add ten to the time. I will get into that room eventually Kate so you may as well make it easier for yourself. You have sixty seconds."

"I told you to leave me alone."

"And I know what you need now is people to talk to Kate. You have all of this wrong in your head, you need to know this. Thirty seconds.

"How do you know I am wrong?"

"It would be rather irresponsible of me to agree to this if I did not know these things Kate. Just because you do not know does not mean I do not. ten seconds then you have a ten minute extension."

"So you have not been telling me everything?"

"Of course not Kate and I am unwilling to tell you now. You will find out once the contract has ended tomorrow. You have ten minutes more by the way."

"Ten minutes more of what?"

"I am not going to tell you what my intention is Kate other than you will not like it. Each time you have gone against me will add extra time. I really dislike having to do this Kate and it really hurts me. Co-operate and we can both be happier." Sam sees the panel turn green but does not open the door instantly. "Everyone just stay out of sight of the door for the moment." The commandos shuffle down the corridor a little. Sam takes the holder from Yasmari and opens the door to find Kate sitting on the side of the bed. "Kate are you willing to do as I say?"

"It is not like I have much choice is it?"

"No as I have six commandos waiting outside if you do not wish to. I would like you to put this on Kate." Sam holding the holder out to Kate. She reluctantly takes it and puts it on. "I apologise but I am going to have to ensure it is fairly tight Kate." Sam checks each of the straps noting that there is no real slack so he is happy. "Kate I am going to tie your arms behind you as per the rule and your legs together. This can be done here and you can be carried to the basement or you can willingly walk to the basement. Which would you rather Kate?"

"I would rather walk." Sam nods and gestures Kate to follow him out of the room and down the stairs. "I would like you six to follow please." They follow behind Kate a little distance away until they get to the basement. "Could you take two steps forward please Kate?" She does so looking a little confused. Sam ties her arms together so there is no chance of her moving them. "Could you put your legs together Kate?" Sam then ties those together. "I will be back in a minute Kate." Sam disappears upstairs.

"I am guessing you all know what is happening?"

"Not entirely but since Sam has a contract you signed then there is not much we can do to help you if he is not intending to cause long term physical harm. My apologies Kate." Swathana being honest in her delivery. Sam descends the stairs moments later with the spare rope, cutting it into four equal pieces as he does so.

"I apologise if you get some rope burn as I pull these pieces through the holder Kate." Sam begins putting two through each side. Kate seemed to be shaking a little. "Could you six work out the best way of holding her up while I tie off the ropes." Sam stands back looking towards Kate.

"No, no. Please put me down." Kate expressing her fear as she is biotically lifted from the floor by Yasmari. Swathana and Selayla then spin Kate so she is upside down. "Please Sam." Sam says nothing but approaches Kate and begins to tie the ropes around the supporting beam ensuring there is no way the knots will slip. It does not take long for him to tie the four ropes off and nod to Yasmari who lets Kate settle into the harness. "I need to have a talk to everyone upstairs Kate. I will be back in a few minutes."

"No please do not leave me Sam." He does so anyway with the commandos leaving as well. "Sam!" He makes sure to shut the door once they have all left.

"I am sure Lianta will explain while I get Ami."

"Explain what Lianta?" Hymara desperate to know.

"You remember when I said about that Asari with tattoos?" Hymara nods. "That was just over the top and looked strange." All the commandos were facing Lianta and not the door to the kitchen. "Well look for yourselves." The five of them turn around and just stand there.

"I am sure Ami will begin to think it is a bad shock if none of you say anything."

"Amistathya, as you know the degrading reports said you were unattractive or ugly and Sam deserved better. That would be a very difficult notion to achieve in practice. If Sam does not want you then could I?" Amistathya blushes heavily giving Sam a large hug to try and hide the embarrassment.

"Unfortunately Selayla I am keeping her. You may get an opportunity in a hundred years or so if you stay around and Ami likes you." Selayla nods with a smile.

"My apologies Amistathya. My name is Yasmari." She nods in greeting. "I never thought I would have the opportunity to see a marked Asari in person so I must thank you. Your markings make me uneasy but you do look wonderful."

"To think someone would try and get rid of those markings. You should not have had to have gone through all of that Amistathya as your markings are very nice." Amistathya gives a shy nod to Hymara.

"I am sure you would all like to express your appreciation but I have to check that Kate is ok. I am sure we can get her down on our own when we need too. I hope you all have a good night."

"Thank you everyone." Amistathya managed to get out through her embarrassment. A sea of smiles and nods made her happy before they all left.

"Ami, could you from now on keep your markings covered up as I think you may be distracting to people. I will make no mention to it distracting me."

"I really did not want to show them but I am going to need three people really to get out of this easily and Kate was in her room. I feel happy I did though as it is always nice to get praise." Sam gives her a hug.

"It is but we are going to have to have a talk to Kate." Amistathya nods and the two of them go back downstairs to see Kate struggling to get out. "Unfortunately Kate it will be difficult for you to get out with your hands behind you."

"Sam, I am finding it hard to think and I feel a little ill."

"Well it was about five when you were hung up. Given the total disregard for the rules and your position you will be here for five hours."

"How do you think I will manage that Sam? What about food and drink or the toilet?" Sam looks around and finds a large plastic lid which would make a decent tray. He slides it under where Kate is hanging.

"There we go, you can urinate into that Kate. You will manage the time because you have no way to get out and I will not let you before then. You will get drinks but no food. I hope everything is a bit clearer now."

"Kate just say when you need a drink and I will get you one. You are free to talk you must remember that, Sam is only punishing you for asking questions which you do not need the answers to."

"I cannot believe Fosanta even thought of doing this."

"She did seem reluctant to do this, hence I guess why I am doing it on her behalf. Neither of us will hurt you Kate." Kate sighs.

"It is not like I have much choice. Athya could I have a drink before we start?"

"Of course. I will be back in a minute." She goes upstairs to prepare a drink.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Seliha and Adastra had done their shopping and were now just approaching the restaurant. "I guess this is it?"

"It is." Seliha walks through the door first followed by Adastra, Imphaya and Aumarva.

"Good evening. I do... My apologies Seliha. We have two, two seat tables near each other if that would be ok. Alternatively you can choose to wait for a four seat table to become available."

"Are you two ok if I am with Seliha and you are not far away?" The pair of them nod.

"The two, two seat tables sound good to us."

"Please follow me." The four of them do so to a pair of two seat tables next to each other near the window, Seliha getting a smile and a nod from one of the waitresses as they walked through the restaurant. "You may arrange yourselves how you wish and your waitresses will be along shortly to provide you with menus and take your orders." They give the Asari greeter a nod before taking their seats.

"I have no idea how you just managed that but the view is quite something." Adastra looking out at the evening sun glinting off Nos Astra's buildings.

"As I said sometimes having markings helps. I wonder who we will get this evening." Adastra looks towards Seliha and smiles at her making that comment just as an Asari approaches with two datapads.

"I am Aphrina and I would be pleased if you would let me be your waitress this evening Seliha and Adastra."

"We are given a choice?"

"Of course Adastra as we wish you to be happy with every part of your meal and that includes the individuals serving you."

"I guess you have your job because of your darker blue skin and rather heavy red markings Aphrina?"

"I did Seliha. I also understand some people think I am angry or annoyed most of the time so I would not hold it against you if you wished someone else to serve you." Seliha looks to Adastra who nods with a smile.

"We are both happy for you to do so Aphrina." She seems to get a bit of vitality with that agreement, carefully handing each of them a datapad containing the menu.

"Would you like me to get you both anything while you make your decisions?"

"We are ok for the moment." She bows her head before leaving the two of them. "I said unique individuals."

"Does it really matter as long as they are pleasant?"

"No but it is nice to see variety and it makes me feel happier being in a place where they accept different people."

"Perhaps."

"Can I ask why you do not seem as happy as you did earlier?"

"I do apologise but the bit of quiet time here has given me time to think. All I feel is anger inside after seeing Athya. How someone could torture her I have no idea as she is young, attractive and seems friendly."

"There is nothing you can do about someone else's past. I am sure he will use her in some way for the event, which should prove the point you wish to put forward."

"You have a point but it just riles me that I did what I have done in the past for essentially minor abuse and blackmail. Athya has no closure and has probably suffered more than I have."

"I deeply apologise if you do not wish me to know but I assume you are talking about Sam's partner?"

"We are but why do you ask?"

"I worked with an individual who looked like she does; it must be a hundred and twenty years ago though, at least. I must ask if the gloves she usually wears hides markings?"

"I am curious now Aphrina as to why you ask?"

"As I was saying I worked with an individual who looked like her and she had markings on her hands. I would hate to say much more in case I am either wrong or I ruin your evening but I wondered if she was the same individual."

"If you leave your contact details I will try to arrange something but I cannot guarantee it will be soon or will happen."

"I would be most appreciative of anything you could do Seliha. Have you decided what you would wish to eat?"

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Are you really ok Fosanta as you look distracted?"

"I am really worried about tomorrow Whesiva as I have no idea how Kate will cope."

"Why are you doing this anyway?"

"I would like to have a child with her at some time. I need to know that she will stay with me so I thought of this plan. I really hate it now though."

"Ahh so you are making it difficult for her to stay to see if she will leave?"

"Exactly, it still does not comfort me though as I know Kate has no idea what is happening."

"You said tomorrow lunch time?"

"Yes I was tempted to get back a few minutes before then and sort of surprise her but I would need to arrange that and I have no idea how."

"A message?"

"I might be able to make one ambiguous enough. It would make me happier."

"Do it then Fosanta. There is no point in feeling bad all night." She nods and opens her Omni-tool.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Athya is a while. Is she planning something Sam?"

"Of that I have little doubt Kate. This will be her reward at least as I know she likes being mean." Ami descends the stairs carrying a cup with a straw in, her other arm hiding something behind her. She puts the hidden thing on top of a box behind Kate.

"Is that what I think it is?" Amistathya nods with a grin and Sam has to laugh.

"What is it?" Sam puts a box over the top of it so Kate cannot see it.

"I think I know what Ami is to do and you will like it so much you may actually hate it. Anyway we need to bend you around so that you can have a drink." Sam and Amistathya put and arm each under her shoulder and lifts her up so her bottom half of her body is still held by the ropes but her head is the right way around. "Apologies if you feel light headed Kate." Amistathya holds the cup with her other arm as Kate drinks the contents. It does not take her long to finish the cup and the two of them let her back down. "Do you feel better now Kate?"

"Yes thank you." Ami picks up the piece of black fabric Sam had used earlier and puts it back over Kate's eyes. "Is there a reason you are blindfolding me?"

"There is no reason at all Kate. Where is that roll of stuff Sam?" Sam gets a message on his Omni-tool.

"Hold on a moment Ami."

_Sam,_

_I am going to try and get back half an hour early. I would like to surprise her so if you could think of something then I would appreciate it._

_Fosanta_

Sam quickly sends back a reply before digging what Amistathya wanted from one of the boxes.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"From what you are telling me this should be a simple drop them in and it should work thing Whesiva."

"I am glad to hear that as I just got the design finished before I left today so that should mean it should only take a couple of hours tomorrow."

"Have you found someone to test it yet?"

"No I am going to go searching Monday and Tuesday morning. There must be at least one individual who would be willing in this city."

"Oh before you ask Whesiva I am not a possible candidate."

"Usarta said Armali Council employees are exempt so it would not matter anyway." Fosanta gets a message back.

_Fosanta,_

_We will be in your top room. Be very quiet when you arrive and join us._

_Sam_

"It is so good to have friends who you can trust."

"I guess he worked out what you wanted?"

"It sounds like it but I will see tomorrow."

"I could really do with an early night as I have barely slept the last two nights."

"I think I may as well do the same given I doubt I will sleep well."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam had turned on his computer and Amistathya seemed addicted to minesweeper. Sam thought it was an easy game to pick up but he never thought it could be addictive. "One more game Ami and then we can do something else."

"Awww, but this is good Sam."

"I have other games, films, music and some books on here as well."

"Please, a break Sam?" Sam looks at the amount of time left.

"You have done well up until now Kate. You can have an all night break in what was forty five minutes and is now fifty five."

"Anything for five minutes Sam."

"Ami do it." She walks over and ends Kate's torment much to her relief.

"Thank you."

"Would you like a drink Kate?"

"Yes, why are you being nice Sam?" Sam nods to Amistathya who leaves to get a drink.

"I know how much these five minutes are going to cost Kate."

"Could I ask?"

"You are to be blindfolded while your arms are tied behind you which will also be the case tomorrow."

"Why did I have to say anything?"

"I have no idea but as long as you willingly do what I suggest then I am happy Kate."

"I will." Sam could hear the resigned but truthful tone to that statement.

"I think I believe you this time Kate. The last two times I think you have seen this as a game."

"I did. I just have no idea how Ami copes."

"Ami has not had to experience what you have Kate. She knew however when she said no limits she had to give up everything if I asked. You did not seem to grasp this." Amistathya reappears with a mug having heard some of the conversation.

"Kate. I cope through understanding. Sam knows I hate being naked and he also knows I would be legally unable to stop him if he dragged me to Nos Astra which he has not. He has taken advantage of that fact though." The two of them lift Kate up so she can drink which she does so before the two of them let her back down.

"If you hate being naked then why do you seem ok in a transparent dress?" Ami turns the vibrator back on, Kate's body instantly baulking at the renewed stimulation.

"Before my skin was burnt they took pleasure in seeing what they could fit inside me. I was naked, weak from not being fed well and I was unable to defend myself well from their biotics. From then on I like to have something to protect me, even if it is transparent."

"Oh. How long Sam?"

"Fifty five minutes Kate. Myself and Ami are going to get something to eat. We will be back in a bit."

"Ok." Kate manages to get out while trying not to beg for it to stop. Sam and Amistathya go upstairs to get food.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Whesiva walks out of the bedroom to see Fosanta just walking out of the bathroom. "Fosanta, if you would like you could sleep with me. I would appreciate the company for a change."

"I would appreciate it as well Whesiva. Thank you for the offer."

"No problem. I know you may find it a bit more comfortable."

"I just need to say no melding and no touching."

"I would be too uncomfortable with that anyway, especially with someone who I barely know." Fosanta nods and joins Whesiva in her room which had a very comfortable looking king sized bed in it.

"It is not like you have a lack of space is it?" Whesiva laughs a little.

"No, I feel lost in such a large bed." The two of them get in the bed and settle down. "I hope you sleep well Fosanta."

"You too." Whesiva gives Fosanta a smile before turning the light off.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am so glad I kept my bioamp on as I do not think I can make it to the bed." Seliha manages to turn the shower off.

"I can barely think properly. This has been the best day ever, thank you Adastra." Seliha snuggles up to Adastra.

"It should be me who is thanking you. I am so exhausted and I am so comfortable here." Adastra looks down to see Seliha with her eyes closed, Adastra smiles and rests her head on Seliha's and shuts her eyes.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Ami, could you meld with me later to let me bring the third lot of memories out?"

"Of course Sam. Are you sure you want it to be tonight?"

"I feel sufficiently recovered from Tuesday now. If I am unreasonable tomorrow please tell me as I know I may be quite short tempered."

"I will."

"I was going to have a shower with the meld but Kate being my servant for longer than I planned has ruined that idea. Could we have a shower tomorrow evening?"

"Yes Sam, I will need one after I have removed this dress though as I am covered in lubricant."

"You can have a shower while I get Kate ready for bed." She nods. "Anyway that is time up for Kate so I think we should let her out." The two of them walk down the stairs. "Hello Kate. I see you could not wait for the bathroom."

"Is that it?" Kate's voice week and she was obviously not concentrating what was being said.

"It is Kate. Could you get the pillows from the spare bed so we can let Kate down onto something soft?" Amistathya nods and leaves. "I hope you understand now Kate what I mean by giving up everything?"

"I do." Sam gets her ready to be let down while Amistathya is away. It is not long before she is back; Sam moves the plastic tray and puts the pillows underneath her.

"Ami, can you hold her up so her legs can be let down first?" She does so and Sam unties the first two ropes which were holding up her waist. Sam then lowers her legs which raises her upper half. Sam unties the knots on the two upper ropes and gently lets her down onto the pillows. He then unties her legs, arms and removes the blindfold. "Kate, can you try to stand up for me?" She nods and tries to stand but she has no strength to get much beyond kneeling. "Kate you need something to eat and drink."

"I am sorry Sam."

"Put your arm over my shoulder Kate." Sam helps Kate up but realises she is almost to the point of being dead weight. "Ami, I hope it does not hurt you but could you help Kate on the other side." She does so which does help and the two of them practically drag Kate to the kitchen before putting her on a chair and making sure she does not fall off. "Ami can you get you dress off with just me helping?"

"I have thought through a way which I think will work. We can at least try." Sam nods.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The two of them had left Kate with some food and a drink and had told her that she had to eat it before they got back. They were in their bathroom and Ami had removed the dummy bioamp to reveal the opening. "I thought it would be bigger than that Ami. It seems barely big enough to get your waist through."

"It does stretch a bit Sam but yes it is a bit of a squeeze. I need you to slide your arms in either side of my waist before stretching the opening and pushing your arms up my front towards my shoulders." Sam squeezes his arms in and Ami bends over and Sam sees her body slowly slide further out as he pushes his arms further up. "Sam I need you to stop there as I need to get my head through."

"You would want me to stop with my hands pressed against your breasts." Sam laughing a little.

"If you are complaining Sam." Sam gives then a bit of a squeeze.

"They may not be as big as Adastra's but they are very nice." Ami pulls her head through the neck opening being careful of the rope around her neck.

"Could you move your arms around to be up my back and pull my shoulders back?" Sam does so and Ami slides out of the hole with her arms still half covered. She pulls her hands out of each arm before pulling them back to look right. "I know they are not large Sam but they are symmetrical and you cannot say I am flat chested unlike some Asari."

"Could I ask if your size is about average for Asari Ami?"

"Yes Sam. Adastra must be over average and Kate would be as well. Anyway could you help me get out of the bottom half Sam." He nods. "Put your hands in again and push you hands down over my hips and down my legs."

"How thick is this material anyway as it is very unyielding." Sam struggling to get her hips and his arms through the gap.

"It is the design not the material, given it was an old bioamp holder design it was meant to stay in place." Sam just about squeezes her out and once he was on her legs it was much easier with it practically sliding off by itself given the lubricant.

"I appreciate the help Sam." Sam smiles to Ami who enters the shower before turning it on. He leaves to go and sort out Kate.

As he walks into the kitchen he finds the plate empty but the cup only half finished. Kate seems to be sleeping. "Kate." Sam gives her a shake.

"Oww. I am so stiff it is not funny."

"Could you finish your drink Kate. I will then let you go to the toilet before tying up your arms and putting your blindfold on."

"Ok Sam." Sam goes to get the two pillows from the basement. Kate cautiously picks up the cup and drinks the last of the contents. It does not take long before he comes back with the pillows, one piece of rope and a new strip of black fabric.

"Can you stand up?" Kate cautiously stands but it is obvious her muscles are not going to last. "Put your arm over my shoulder Kate." She does so and Sam grabs hold of the harness at her hip to help her stand. The two of them proceed upstairs and in to the bathroom.

"I do not need to go to the toilet Sam."

"Are you sure?" Kate nods and they go through to the spare bedroom. Sam sits Kate on the side of the bed before throwing the pillows on the bed. He then puts the blindfold on her before tapping her arms. She puts her arms behind her and Sam ties them up, making sure they will not come loose in the night. Sam then pulls Kate onto the bed before putting the duvet over her. "Sleep well Kate." He leaves the room and crosses over before walking into his bathroom to see Ami just putting the towel on the towel rail. "I think you have destroyed Kate with your idea."

"She will be sore for a day or two but she will probably admit later that it was fun." Sam strips off and jumps into the shower.

"You said you had got some other things and I said I would not ask but I am curious."

"I have a few things for us that I would like to keep as a surprise."

"That sounds fair enough; as long as you do not do what you did to Kate to me then I am ok."

"I have to be careful as to what I can do with being your servant. You know and probably expect me to playfully tease you and be mean though."

"I think that is about the only thing I can be certain of with you Ami." Sam steps out of the shower and Ami takes him a dry towel from the rail. He quickly dries himself before the two of them go through to the bedroom. "I really like that rope collar Ami as it is not large and blends in nicely with your body, even though it does have bright yellow bits in it."

"Actually I must ask. Is it just one piece of rope?"

"You said one Ami so I had to get creative. I am guessing you just thought a single simple piece."

"I did as I thought anything more would be impractical but I like this and you seem to have made it just the right size as well." The two of them get into bed.

"If it is too tight then please do say as Kate's is a little looser."

"No it is fine Sam. I can get a couple of fingers behind it without it feeling tight."

"Good. I wanted to make sure that someone could not easily get their hand behind and that you would not snag it on something." She nods.

"Would you like to meld now Sam?" He thinks then nods. "Embrace eternity." Sam gets thrown into Ami's past again but it is no longer barely tolerable but just repulsive. Sam pulls the third group of memories out of the recessed memory. "You seem more relaxed now."

"It is like going for a walk in a sewer now rather than the feeling of the sewer water burning your skin off and then watching the rats pull the hanging bits loose. This is going to take weeks but I feel I can now meld with you when I want if I just prepare myself first."

"I am so pleased to hear that Sam." Ami gives Sam a hug until the time has elapsed and Sam seems to settle down a bit. "How do you feel now?"

"I know why Holana said I would hate her by the fourth day. She has only omitted the truly bad memories. It is not much better than actually melding with you."

"I hope I am worth the pain Sam as I know it cannot be easy."

"You need to stop thinking you are worth so little Ami. You even had Selayla practically begging to have you."

"I felt so embarrassed that an attractive commando practically asked to be my partner."

"I would take that as a massive compliment Ami. Your dress did look wondrous though. Anyway I could do with trying to get some sleep. I hope you sleep well."

"You too Sam." Sam nods before turning the light off.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**Over 13,000 words in this chapter which is fairly ridiculous but it needed that many and more in places. I apologise for anyone who is begging for more detail on certain parts but it would have been nearer 20,000 words. I will make sure to cover what happened retroactively in the next chapter.**

**I appreciate every one of you who read this each week. You are free to offer your opinions or suggestions by review and I will at least consider them for when I write new chapters.**

**Next chapter will be day 2 of Kate's test which will be on the 28th of July.**


	39. Chapter 39 : The Day After

**Chapter 39 - The Day After**

* * *

><p><strong>Sunday 5th February 2017<strong>

Seliha wakes up nudging Adastra. "Sorry, I forgot you were sleeping on me."

"It is ok." Adastra yawns. "I am going to be stiff today because of sleeping so awkwardly. It is still worth it for last night."

"I cannot thank you enough for your idea though Adastra. I think we should spend a couple of hours in the bed as it is still very early." Adastra gets up and helps Seliha up before the two of them walk next door and climb into the bed. Adastra gives Seliha a kiss as she wraps her body around her. She breaks off and gives Seliha a smile. "I guess you are comfortable now?"

"Yes Seliha. I hope you sleep well."

"I will." The two of them close their eyes their noses touching each other as they drop to sleep again.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam calls it morning when he wakes up again and sees it is ten past seven. Sam looks over to see Ami who still looks fast asleep. He shuffles over a little and puts one leg on the floor, "Were you going to leave without saying hello?"

"I thought you were still asleep?"

"I was, you moving further away woke me up. I guess you did not sleep well?"

"Well I slept. It was more a series of power naps though so while I physically I feel refreshed, mentally I feel knackered." Amistathya rubs her eyes before sitting up and stretching.

"Would having a shower make you feel a bit better Sam?"

"I doubt it. I will have one this evening so I might sleep a bit better before work." She nods as she gets out of bed. "I will let you wake Kate as it might be a bit scary for her when she cannot see and her arms are tied up."

"So I get to play with her again?"

"After she has cleaned up the basement I will take her up to her room for you to play with. Fosanta will quietly appear at some time and we can think of some way to get Fosanta to interact with Kate without her knowing."

"Oh, so you are leaving it up to me to do the handover?" Amistathya now dressed in her usual plain white clothes with a smile on her face.

"If you are happy with that Ami. I could come up with something if I had to but I am getting a headache."

"You know I will come up with something. I will wake Kate and bring her to the kitchen." Sam nods and Ami crosses the landing and walks into the spare bedroom. She sits on the side of the bed and gives Kate a small nudge. "Morning Kate. Do not be scared, you know what is happening."

"Why am I tied up?"

"Please relax Kate. You are tied up because you told Sam to leave you alone yesterday afternoon. You cannot see because you wanted a five minute break last night." Amistathya helps Kate sit up.

"I feel like all my muscles are dead."

"You may feel sore for a while. Anyway Sam would like us in the kitchen for breakfast. I will take you through the bathroom first so you can go to the toilet." Kate stands up and Amistathya guides her to the toilet.

"I smell like I have already been here this morning."

"You will probably remember if you really try Kate."

"I feel as if I have got a week of my life missing. You did not drug me did you?" The two of them exiting the bathroom and walking down the stairs.

"Kate we would not harm you like that. We will tell you everything later today."

"Good morning Kate. I hope you were not too scared waking up blindfolded and you hands tied behind you."

"It was a little worrying Sam but I think I am fine now after the initial scare. What is for breakfast?"

"You will find out when Ami feeds you."

"Could I ask Sam, what I am to do while you are at work next week?"

"I am sure there could be something you could do for the event Ami. We will decide later."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Morning Whesiva." Fosanta being awoken by her getting up off the bed.

"Good morning to you too. Did you sleep well?"

"Actually it was quite good. It was probably helped by this bed as it is very comfortable."

"Indeed it is. At least you should be refreshed to get this design finished quickly."

"Yes and then I can go to see Kate. I hope she is not upset with me."

"I am sure everything will be fine Fosanta. I do not have an awful lot for breakfast as I have had it in the Skylounge the last two days."

"They do breakfasts?"

"The early shifts for propulsion assembly need somewhere to eat. It is surprisingly good and the view out of the window with the low early morning sun is very nice."

"That sounds good and convenient." Fosanta gets out of bed.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Kate I am going to untie your arms and remove your blindfold. You have no reason to move your arms yet so please resist the urge to do so." Sam removes her blindfold first before untying the knot holding her arms behind her. "Are you ok to help tidy the basement Kate?"

"Yes Sam." The three of them go into the basement. "It smells like I do in here." Sam picks up the plastic lid and holds it out to Kate.

"I would like you to dispose of the contents and then wash the lid out before returning." Kate looks at the yellow liquid running around in the lid.

"This is urine."

"It is more specifically yours Kate, hence why you are cleaning it up." She nods and leaves looking a little confused. "She does not seem to remember."

"I think by that point she was not really thinking Sam. She said it felt like she was missing a week this morning."

"We will have to see how she reacts when Fosanta comes back. If you could collect all the boxes together Ami I will tidy the ropes and the pallet wrap." She nods and the two of them get to work and it is not long before the basement looks like it did before.

The two of them are just stacking a few boxes in the corner a little better when Kate reappears with the lid. She passes it back to Sam before folding her arms behind her. "Thank you Kate."

"No problem. It is disconcerting when it is obvious what happened but you cannot remember at all." Sam just starts laughing and shaking his head. "What is it Sam?"

"I will tell you later Kate but I should have seen this earlier." Sam picks up three ropes and the blindfold. "Ami, could you remove the sheets off the spare bed upstairs and put some clean ones on. Kate I would like you to have a shower and remove the holder. I will see you both in the right hand side top room." The two of them nod and leave.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Fosanta and Whesiva sit down and begin eating breakfast in a remarkably quiet Skylounge. "I am guessing it is so quiet because it is a Sunday."

"That would make sense Fosanta. How long do you think it will take you to integrate the sensors?"

"It depends on what kind you need, the difficulty of the design and how many. It could be anything between ten minutes and several hours."

"Well actually the number will be limited to the space that is left. I worked out using the data-sheets on the manufacturing equipment in the propulsion building that I can reduce the design by ten percent so that means I have 16.5mm to play with and the final design itself is 16.4mm."

"We could always go a tiny amount over if we have to but I am assuming you just want the basic sensors to begin with?"

"Well it would be ideal to know as much as possible. There needs to be wear sensors added along with tracking if it is given to an individual in the future."

"That makes sense. I forgot about that, I thought it was just going to be an internal testing design." Whesiva smiles and looks out of the window. "It is nicer than at lunch time, the shadows from the tall buildings add something."

"I thought that as well, it is even better at sunset but I hope I am not around here by then as I really need to do some shopping this afternoon."

"I think it might be an idea to get started then since we have other places to be." Whesiva nods and the two of them head to her room in the biotics building.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam logs on to one of the two consoles in the room and sees he has a message. Sam cannot think of a good reason why it had not been sent to his Omni-tool but anyway he opens it.

_Sam,_

_I am just letting you know that Kate has some interesting information._

"You have to be kidding me."

"What is it Sam?"

"Unknown has messaged me again Ami. I think it is every time she gets bored, either that or it is not her who is sending them."

"Will you tell us what the message was about Sam?"

"Not yet Kate. I know I am withholding a lot but I have my reasons as to why I am doing so. I hope you understand."

"I do."

"I do have one piece of information though. Never meld with someone like Ami Kate as it feels like it eats your brain slowly. Anyway talking about brains do you remember what you agreed to do today?"

"No, it is all a blank Sam. The last thing I can remember before this morning was the first few orgasms."

"Ahh. Ok Kate. You agreed to be blindfolded, arms tied behind you and your legs tied in a kneeling position. Your job is to entertain Ami as best you can."

"Quite how I can entertain someone while tied up that much I do not know but I will try."

"I am happy to hear that Kate."

"Sam, could I change and get a couple of things?"

"As long as you are back here before I finish with Kate." She nods and quickly leaves. "Kate, could you lie on your back and pull your legs tight up to you so that your heal is touching your bum?" Kate does as she is asked and it is only a couple of minutes before each leg is going nowhere. "Could you now sit as if you are kneeling?" Sam puts the blindfold on her first before tying her arms which were already behind her. Amistathya arrives just before Sam is finished in her black and blue with white marking dress. "Are you comfortable for a while Kate?"

"My legs feel like they are going dead but that is probably from yesterday. I will be fine Sam." Sam sits down at the console and nods to Ami who smiles and nods.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Seliha reawakens and tries to move, forgetting yet again that Adastra had wrapped herself around her. Adastra smiles with her eyes still closed. "Adastra, will you kindly unwrap your leg from around mine." She does so before following Seliha to the bathroom.

"I cannot believe we slept half of the night in there." Adastra gesturing to the shower as the two of them freshen themselves up before getting dressed.

"I do not think we were in a fit state to go walking anywhere Adastra." She nods before looking at her Omni-tool.

"It seems we slept in a while, it will be more like early lunch than breakfast now. I will send a message to Imphaya for her to meet us.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Oh this design is quite simple Whesiva."

"That would probably because it is not really an amplifier design Fosanta. It is more like continually topping up a leaking bucket by using the leaking water. The design is not quite as good as the old one but it will barely cause any extra static build-up in the body unlike the old design."

"Usarta said something about up to a minute of use of biotics. What would this amplifier give them?"

"About a minute and fifty seconds Fosanta. The old design I worked out was only limited by static build-up. Hold on I have just had an idea. This is based on the current available pulsar design. If I can swap it to the development version and add a passive discharge system." Fosanta moves to take a seat away from the console.

"Why did you not use the development version earlier?"

"There was no test data available for it until yesterday."

"But that test data is useless Whesiva."

"Not for me. I only need to know what it does not how it does it as I am only interested in its discharge characteristics. How far behind is the pulsar commercial to the development as this design is about half of the size?"

"I have no idea; Seliha said that the nebula design is about three years behind."

"Ahh so it could be a couple of process revisions smaller. Addition of a passive discharge system means we are at 16.3mm."

"Really? And that is with a discharge system now as well?"

"Yes. I am at least glad the people who design these amplifier blocks make it easy to change parts. All I need to tweak is the interaction between them later but I should be able to simulate it at least." Whesiva presses simulate and gets a ETA of two minutes. "Well there is a good reason to work on a Sunday; you get all the processing power to yourself."

"How long Whesiva?"

"Actually ten second more, sorry done. It seems the system expects these things to take minutes to hours not seconds." Whesiva looks over the design and runs a couple of calculations. "Now that was worth the fifteen minutes. One minute fifty was the previous, two minutes and five seconds is the estimate now."

"Well that is a decent increase in performance for just a small change." Whesiva lets Fosanta back on the console to finish adding the sensors.

"The only reason I could do it was because of Adastra's test data as I needed some data to validate the design. Unfortunately Armali do not think I am qualified enough to validate designs using unknown components."

"Think of it this way Whesiva, if they kill someone at least it is not your fault. Given you are using Adastra's design I can just update the sensor package and all the sensors should be in the right place. All I then need to do is add six onto the passive limiter for things like charge rate. Wear sensors and a tracking system. I am so glad this system is easy to pick up as I have only been using it a fortnight."

"Really? You seem better than I am with it."

"Yes, although I have spent two weeks just doing sensors. I think I could almost position them in my sleep now, but if you asked me to change an amplifier block it would likely take me hours." Whesiva laughs. "Done." Fosanta stands up and lets Whesiva recheck the design.

"16.4mm. Thank you for your help Fosanta. I will tidy everything up and tell Usarta I have finished it. I then need to try to get it to Sam somehow to get it made. It will probably be Wednesday when I see you next unless I find a candidate on Monday."

"I will talk to you on Wednesday. I wish you luck in finding your individual."

"Thank you again Fosanta." She nods and leaves Whesiva to get in tough with Usarta.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am sure you remember your friend from last night." Kate laughs in despair.

"Are you trying to kill me Athya?"

"It is ok you need to try and get it to the right position with only your legs." Amistathya places it in-between Kate's legs at her ankles. She then sits on the floor and watches the ensuing amusing movements of falling over from sitting and then dropping it on the floor.

"I can see you are going to really struggle so I am going to hold it at the right height and I would like you to find it Kate."

"I cannot see and not really move Athya. You are just doing this to have a laugh now."

"Your job is to entertain me and you are doing an excellent job." Sam watches Kate fail for a couple of minutes before he gets a message. Luckily he had muted the sound so the other two did not know.

_Sam,_

_I am here._

_Fosanta_

"I am going to have to get a drink as I have an awful headache." Sam nods with a smile to Amistathya. He quickly goes down the stairs to find Fosanta waiting in the seating area. "Hello it is good to see you Fosanta."

"You look tired Sam?"

"It is ok it was not Kate who caused it. I am trying to get used to Ami's past still. Kate found what you did yesterday rather upsetting which caused her to walk off and tell me to leave her alone. I think the five hours or so of hanging upside down in the basement cured that. She may be a bit sore for a few days and may not remember anything."

"Ami did not meld with her did she?"

"No I followed your rules entirely Fosanta. She had no shower yesterday and she only had one three hours ago so you can see for yourself that I did not use coloured gels even though I was tempted."

"I would be happy to hear more about this later. I would just like to see her to be honest for now." Sam gestures her to follow him.

"Do what Ami says and it should be good. We have..." Sam looks at his Omni-tool, "five minutes left. When that expires we will walk out and leave you with her." Fosanta nods. They walk up the second set of stairs and quietly into the room. "I feel a bit better now."

"I am getting bored with this game now."

"I was bored before we started Athya."

"Hey play nicely." Sam shouting over as he sits back down at the console before shutting it down.

"Spread your legs Kate." She does so and keeps them there as Amistathya puts the vibrator where it was the previous evening. She waves Fosanta over to kneel down next to her. Just before Kate reaches climax Amistathya removes the vibrator much to Kate's annoyance.

"Awww, what did you do that for?"

"Well you know the no begging rule. I would like you to break it. Tell me why I should let you have it back." She hands Fosanta the vibrator.

"I am tied up, cannot see, and you have been making me frustrated all morning. Please just let me have one orgasm Athya. I think I have earnt it."

"Make it a good one Kate." Amistathya nods to Fosanta who puts the vibrator back on Kate. Sam and Amistathya quietly leave the room as Kate gets lost in the fact there is no real chance of escaping. It is only seconds before a moan and a few spasms come from Kate.

"Thank you." Kate breathlessly manages to get out. Fosanta resists saying something instead pushing the vibrator into Kate before sitting on her and beginning to massage her breasts. "What are you doing Athya? Please stop. Please." Fosanta smiles at her still thinking it is Amistathya. Kate cuts herself off as she enters the throws of yet another orgasm. Fosanta was surprised at the strength of it given Kate nearly threw her off and the vibrator was pushed quickly out of her. Kate quickly relaxes given the annoying vibrator was no longer tormenting her and Fosanta had stopped teasing her breasts. "Thank you." Kate manages to get out between breaths. Fosanta pulls off her blindfold. Kate can only laugh and go bright red at the position she is in. "This is embarrassingly awkward. Was this all planned from the beginning?"

"No it was all Sam and Amistathya's plans Kate. They walked out as soon as the contract ended and I took over. I was expecting you to be blindfolded but you are so defenceless it is rather amusing." Fosanta tickles Kate a little.

"Hey. Just because I cannot defend myself does not mean you have to take advantage of me."

"Sorry but I could not resist." Kate shakes her head with a sigh.

"Would you be willing to tell me why you tricked me into this Fosanta?"

"I was both trying to make it hard for you to stay with me and trying to get you over a few fears. I hope it was not too difficult for you as it sounds like you had a difficult night."

"It was a difficult evening but I will explain that later. You did nearly manage to make me leave and had I not had been in a contract I would have left. I would have come back but I really thought you had got bored of me which was hard to accept."

"I apologise Kate. I could not get bored with you. I hope you did not find being a servant too bad." Fosanta running her fingers through Kate's hair.

"It has been an interesting experience, very tough physically and emotionally but looking back I quite liked it but I would not want to do so again, at least for a while."

"I think we should get your legs untied and go down to talk to Sam and Amistathya." Fosanta seems to struggle a little getting her legs untied but eventually manages it. "I hope you did not mind if I let Sam untie your arms as those knots were hard to undo."

"It is fine, I have had them tied like that for most of the last eighteen or so hours."

"Is it not uncomfortable?" Kate laughs as the two of them walk down the stairs.

"I asked the same thing to Athya when Sam brought her back. I can now relate perfectly to her answer. It is a little uncomfortable but you just seem to ignore it quite quickly." The two of them sit down opposite Sam and Amistathya in the kitchen.

"I apologise if I was to intent on breaking you Kate. If I had longer then it would probably have been a bit more settled as I am with Ami."

"It is ok Sam. It was physically and mentally tough but it was a good experience and I enjoyed it overall." Sam looks to Amistathya who just smiles.

"Ami said you would say that. Do you want me to untie your arms?" Kate nods and Sam walks around to do so.

"So how was Kate this morning given she could not remember last night?"

"Sore but she seemed very willing to do her best Fosanta, which I greatly appreciated. I also think Kate would be much less of a handful than Ami."

"That is not difficult after last night Sam." Fosanta looks confused.

"I was going to leave Kate hanging all night unless she came up with a reason to let her down. Kate could not so asked if Ami could come up with one. All I will just say is that she seemed to become so tired from having many orgasms that Kate was unable to remember or really control anything. That was all Ami's idea."

"Really?"

"You really would not believe it would you. I thought she would be nice to me..." Kate laughs. "Thank you for playing me Athya." She just smiles and nods in response.

"I am confused but it does not matter. Kate, are you happy to have a shower later?"

"I would be more than happy to do so as I can still smell the urine odour in my hair."

"What?" Fosanta seemed a little stunned by that comment.

"Well when I said Kate could not control anything Fosanta, that included her bladder. Given she was upside down at the time work out where it went."

"I am highly embarrassed about it Fosanta. Please I would like you all not tell anyone else." Fosanta nods.

"I hold enough secrets, what is another one." Sam thinking he will soon have more secrets than not.

"I will not but I must apologise for making you forget. I know how much you disliked the notion of me messing with Sam's mind." Kate can only laugh.

"Fosanta, you know when you said you would make me think I had a choice when I did not. Athya has just proven what I did not think was possible."

"Kate this is not about the urine incident. This is something else we discussed."

"You are kidding?"

"No I am not Kate. It was just after you had drunk your second drink."

"You honestly cannot remember Kate?"

"All I can remember is there was a bit of a break about half way through. I cannot remember any specifics other than I felt drained."

"Kate, I just want to make sure you are ok. Could you relax?" Kate nods. "Embrace eternity."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Kate, Could you show me the file for last night?" Fosanta looking a little worried.

"Of course but I doubt it will help Fosanta." She nods and follows Kate down the newly decorated hallway to a room several rooms down on the left. Kate dips in to the second drawer of the third filing cabinet, pulling out the file. She holds it out to Fosanta who looks in it and just sees a slow descent into ambiguity.

"I am impressed. Kate you can vaguely remember more than you think you can. You had something to eat before bed. You also had a break where you asked how Amistathya copes with all of it. She explains how she dislikes being naked. The great thing is there is some vague reference to having a drink but then nothing until the vibrator is turned back on."

"So she has managed to wipe the answer?"

"No Kate you have never remembered it. I guess the disorientation of being tipped up for a drink and the change in blood flow to your head made you not concentrate for a few seconds."

"Can we leave my mind please Fosanta?" She nods and leaves the room.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate opens her eyes. "Did you know exactly what you were doing Athya?"

"I did not want you remembering what I said Kate, it was rather private and for that I apologise. Sam's basic knowledge was helpful to me in that regard. Sam, could I leave for a couple of minutes?" He nods and she leaves.

"I am shocked Sam. What else do we not know about her?"

"Quite a bit Fosanta, it would be best if you could ask her yourself as she seems intent on giving everyone differing amounts of information." She nods to Sam. "Kate, do you like the rope around your neck as I am surprised you have not removed it or asked someone do remove it for you?"

"Oh I had forgotten about it Sam. I will let Fosanta decide."

"While I like the blue in front of your hair, the fact that it is rope does not sit too well with me." Sam starts laughing, Kate and Fosanta look at him in confusion.

"Sorry, I am a little unsure about it as well for Ami but she seems perfectly happy with it."

"If you feel unhappy about it Sam then why not tell her to remove it?"

"It is a long story Fosanta but it is all about the balance of the mutual understanding between us. It stays if Ami is happy with it."

"I like it Sam. Are you going to keep yours Kate?"

"It is up to Fosanta. Could I ask where you went?"

"I washed the vibrator that was on the floor in the top room and left it on your bed as you can keep it. I also went to the toilet."

"I will not be touching it for a long time Athya as I have had enough recently for a while but I do appreciate the gesture." Amistathya nods as Adastra and Seliha walk in.

"Afternoon you two."

"Hello Sam. You look a little tried, long night?"

"No Adastra I am on block three of four trying to get used to Ami's past. I just did not get a great nights sleep. How was your evening together alone?"

"It was very good Sam, a nice meal and some time to ourselves was just what was needed."

"Adastra's idea certainly made it something special. When you end up sleeping half of the night in the shower tray either something went badly wrong or extremely well. Anyway how was your evening away?"

"It was ok Seliha. I would rather have been here but I was giving Sam some space. I also had a couple of hours of work to do this morning with the next bioamp revision."

"So what was the arrangement yesterday with Kate?" Adastra desperate to find out.

"Fosanta manipulated me into being Sam's servant until lunchtime today."

"Ahh. So this was to show how Athya messed with Sam's mind?"

"Sort of Adastra, it seems Kate got to experience Amistathya first hand last night."

"What happened?"

"Kate decided to walk off and tell me to leave her alone so I had to prove a point. So she was hung upside down in the basement." The two of them let a bit of a smile slip out. "I basically said I was going to leave her unless she came up with a good reason for me to let her down. Kate could not think of anything so she asked if Ami could suggest something. I knew then it was going to be a long evening for her."

"You have not made much sense to any of us recently Athya. What happened?" Adastra looking to Sam.

"Can I tell them Kate? I know it is embarrassing." She reluctantly nods. "Five hours with a vibrator Adastra. She became so exhausted that she ended up urinating on herself."

"And this was all Athya's idea?" Sam and Kate nod. "That certainly surprises me. It still sounds fun though."

"I am sure Sam could help Seliha tie you up if you think so Adastra. Pleasurable hell is about the only way to describe it. She also managed to mess with my mind as well."

"Did you have a choice?" Sam laughs at Kate's not impressed expression.

"Very funny Seliha. No."

"Could I ask, is anyone interested in going to Eternity as I could do with doing with getting out of the house and a drink sounds inviting." Adastra looks to Seliha who nods.

"Eternity, food and then the evening to ourselves?" Kate asking Fosanta.

"Ok but you are going to need to get dressed Kate."

"Your clothes are on your bed." She nods to Sam before leaving. "Fosanta keep your eye on Selayla."

"Why Sam?"

"It is nothing to worry about but it will be funny if it is obvious. I will explain when we get back." Fosanta looks a little confused but nods. It is not too much longer before Kate reappears wearing something. "Well now that we are all reasonable are we good to go?" Everyone nods and makes their way out of the house. Seliha drags the commandos out of their house as everyone else gets in their respective shuttles.

"I like the dress Amistathya. We heard you were wearing one that was transparent yesterday."

"Thank you. I was Aumarva."

"You missed out a little there you two. You could have seen Kate with nothing on and Ami's markings."

"It was not really our fault Sam as we needed to keep an eye on Adastra and Seliha."

"I understand that."

"I did see that you two got the best looking waitress in the restaurant yesterday. I would have felt a little intimidated by her if she had come to our table."

"I could have ordered for you if that would have happened Adastra."

"I know but it would still have been awkward. Aphrina was much more approachable from my perspective."

"Imphaya, I know Ami's dress is a nice design." Sam laughing at her confused staring.

"I apologise Amistathya, it is just a bit of a contrast to what you usually wear." She smiles to Imphaya to show there are no hard feelings.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"How are you today Kate?"

"Sore and a little tired now but I am ok. It is ok I was not hanging there all night Yasmari."

"I am glad to hear that. I am guessing you saw Amistathya yesterday?"

"I guess you mean what she was wearing." Yasmari nods. "Yes. I was very surprised as she seemed too shy to wear something like that. It actually felt wrong somehow to even look at her, even though I was naked as well at the time."

"So what happened last night Kate?"

"I was hung up for five hours with a vibrator before having something to eat and going to bed." Kate keeps it brief but the commandos showed some surprise at the news. "I am fine."

"I did not think Sam would have been that evil with you Kate."

"It is a long story but it was not Sam who came up with the idea. It was the other one with a rope collar."

"Could one of you take that off Kate please?" That comment jogging Fosanta's memory.

"Fosanta, please can I keep it." Kalawa has a look at it.

"Kate you know I feel uneasy about it and given yours and Amistathya's match then the journalists may start making assumptions." Kate sighs.

"Stay still Kate." Kalawa pulls out a knife and makes two cuts before removing the rope. "Interesting design with it needing two cuts to remove." Kate unravels it into one piece of rope.

"If it was a different colour would you mind as much Fosanta?"

"I will think about it Kate but we are here." They all get out of the shuttle and group together with the other shuttle before beginning to make their way to Eternity.

"Another dress Amistathya?" She nods to Yasmari. "I like it."

"I can see journalists." Kalawa giving notice to everyone else as they approach Eternity.

"Sam, please keep quiet today."

"Are you going to ask me every time we leave the house now Hymara?"

"I know you forget Sam." He laughs. They pass through the few journalists with no real hassle. Sam heard a few comments directed towards himself and Amistathya but he resisted the urge to comment. The fourteen of them enter Eternity to find it rather full.

"I can see two tables but they are separate, does that matter?"

"No Aumarva. I claim the table near the bar." Sam thinking it will be like they were last time. Kate and Fosanta claim the small round table in the far corner. "One of you needs to find a chair as it is a table for six."

"Sam, there are eight of us."

"I was going to make a sarcastic comment at that but I will resist doing so. I am sure Ami will be fine on my knee since I doubt there will be two free seats in here." Hymara finds a spare seat and sits on the end of the table closest to the bar with Lianta, Sam and Imphaya having their back to the wall. Seliha sat closest to the bar on the other side with Adastra opposite Sam.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"It is good to see you all back again. What would you all like this afternoon?"

"I get the funny feeling it will be honey mead all round Gemayha." Each of them nods to Fosanta's guess excluding Yasmari.

"I am addicted to the stuff so of course I will have the same." Gemayha smiles.

"I will be back shortly."

"Really five hours Kate?"

"Yes, it felt like a week. I am quite curious however why Sam likes her so much though."

"Why Kate?" Selayla suddenly becoming extra interested.

"I was only musing to myself Selayla as I feel she used me more than Sam did. It could just be that Sam has spent longer with her and knows her better. I just do not know." Selayla nods and goes back to looking in their direction. Gemayha walks across, deftly avoiding a couple of people, before placing the tray on the table.

"I am guessing you all know the individual with Sam?" Gemayha passes a glass to each individual while talking.

"Yes, why do you ask Gemayha?"

"I was just curious Kate as she seems to be getting quite a bit of attention and she looks young. It is a little common for individuals to hire partners so I was curious."

"Oh no Gemayha, she is with Sam because she wishes to be. I think Sam said she was two hundred and sixteen if I remember correctly. I would ask Sam if you have any more questions as we do not know her too well." Gemayha nods to Kate.

"Enjoy your drinks." She sees Yasmari's glass already half empty out of the corner of her eye and smiles as she walks across the room.

"Fosanta. Was what happened these last two days a last minute thing as I was a bit surprised when we found out yesterday?"

"It was a little and I needed to keep it from Kate Swathana. I apologise for not telling you but Sam had a little experience being an owner so I thought I could trust him."

"I still do not know what you gained from it Fosanta."

"It is not really what I gained Swathana but trust that we both got something from it. Yasmari, do you get served water or something?" She smiles.

"As I said I am addicted to the stuff."

"Selayla." She turns to look towards Fosanta who laughs. "I know what Sam meant now."

"I apologise but I have never seen a marked Asari before and she looks brilliantly unique. Maybe I like individuals who are not normal."

"Is she not too young for you Selayla?" Fosanta thinking she has obviously not thought this through.

"Annoyingly you are probably right Fosanta."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Hello Gemayha." Seliha on the ball as she approached the table.

"Good afternoon to you all. I see you have a new friend Sam."

"I do but she is quite a bit more complicated than just friend though Gemayha. You may call her Athya."

"It is good to meet you Athya." The sky blue one nods. "What could I get you all?"

"Straight elasa for the one on my knee and I will have the elasa and whatever it was when I said strong and slightly fruity last time." Gemayha nods.

"Honey mead for me as I do not want another long night." Seliha getting a bit of an extra smile out of Gemayha. Everyone else on the table goes for the same.

"I am surprised to see you here Sam." An Asari talking as she approaches but being cautious about the unknown commandos. Sam looks to the other side of Amistathya.

"I see you are having a bit of a tour around then. How are you finding it here?"

"It is surprisingly inexpensive for things and you can get everything."

"Excuse me for asking but who are you?" Imphaya not knowing who the individual was.

"Imphaya, Aumarva, Adastra and Seliha this is Whesiva." Sam pointing each of them out to her. The four of them nod in greeting. "Whesiva was the individual who brought us four back from the Citadel."

"You make it sound like you hired me to do so Sam." Sam resists the urge to laugh knowing quite how close to the truth that probably was. "I like the dress Athya. I think half of the people in here do as well given the looks you are getting."

"Thank you." Amistathya wishing she could just get rid of a few of the eyes looking at her.

"It is good to see you in person Adastra."

"Is that because you know of me Whesiva?"

"You are reasonably well known Adastra even if it is just from overhearing stories, but Sam told me your reputation is an unfair reflection of you. Seliha, have you worked at Armali Thessia as I have a funny feeling that I have passed you a few times before in the corridors there?"

"I have worked there a long time Whesiva. Please do not take this the wrong way but given your minimal markings it is difficult for me to remember if I have seen you."

"I understand entirely Seliha. I should go to talk to Kate and Fosanta and then try to find a seat."

"I wish you luck in finding one considering Ami is on my knee."

"I will talk again soon." They all nod as Whesiva leaves to see Fosanta and Kate.

"Is she a..." Seliha looking to Sam.

"You mean the markings?" Seliha nods. "I think I get what you are trying to say, yes." Adastra looks a little confused so Seliha whispers to her before she laughs a little.

"How do you do it Sam?" Gemhayha puts the tray of drinks down on the table before passing each to the right individual.

"You just say you were so bored that you drunk urine just to see what it was like." Hymara and Lianta shake their heads with a smile. Amistathya smiles a little.

"I was being serious Sam."

"I was being serious Adastra. I apologise if you did not wish to hear that Gemayha."

"I hear worse Sam, usually after someone is drunk though." Sam laughs as she leaves to serve another table.

"Ok you were trying to provoke a reaction. Please be serious."

"He really did say that Seliha." Hymara stopping the fun from continuing. Adastra and Seliha look at Sam who can do nothing other than smile before taking a drink.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I see you left us until last Whesiva." Fosanta being a little mean in her delivery but the smile gave away that she was joking.

"I only spoke to you a few hours ago Fosanta, that and Sam was the first individual I found given Athya is on his knee." Fosanta nods. "I see it was all ok eventually."

"You mean between Fosanta and myself Whesiva?" She nods. "I tend not to be mad at people for long so yes."

"I am glad to hear that Kate as Fosanta was rather worried last night. Anyway given I can see no spare seats in here I think I will wait until tomorrow. I hope you have a good evening." Kate nods.

"You too Whesiva." She smiles and leaves.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

It is another half an hour before they call it an evening and head back to the house. Everyone excluding Amistathya was in the kitchen having something to eat.

"So you really did say to Whesiva that you drunk urine because you were bored?"

"Yes Adastra, it was only a small lie and she was being both a little grumpy and not wanting to tell us her name. I therefore thought, given I had three hours sleep or whatever it was, that I could do the same." Amistathya walks back in to claim the chair next to Sam.

"Why did you think drinking urine though Sam?" Sam looks to Amistathya who nods.

"To cut a long story short, Doctor Thalmara could only do the test for eezo one way. Ami was willing to help so yes I drank Ami's urine Adastra." Kate seemed to go a shade paler.

"So the lie was that you did it because you were bored?"

"Yes Seliha."

"I cannot believe you even did so Sam. I know I would not have done no matter what it was for."

"It was either that or go to some lab. It was not like it was some random person's urine. Thalmara did purify it a little I must point out although it did still have a slight taste."

"I suppose you did find out that Thessian food was ok."

"It did help put my mind at ease Kate, especially after being on Thessia for three days and not looking for eezo free food. Anyway I know it is very early but I am nearly dropping dead after the long day yesterday, the rubbish nights sleep and the tiring day today. I am going to stick my head on the pillow. I will talk to you all tomorrow." Everyone says goodnight to Sam and Amistathya who leave the kitchen.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam waits for Amistathya to appear from the bathroom which she does so shortly after. "I thought it was later than it is Ami, it is way too early to go bed."

"Could I make a suggestion to spend a bit of time on your computer?"

"That sounds like an idea; we could watch a film or something." She smiles and nods before the two of them leave the room to go to the basement.

"I thought you were off to bed Sam?"

"What at six? I thought it was later but since it is not then we are going to watch a film. Do you two want to join us?"

"No thank you Sam. We are just going to watch a few TV episodes."

"I hope I do not need to remind you not to be too late to bed this time?" The two of them look to each other and laugh. "See you both tomorrow." The nod and carry on upstairs as Sam and Amistathya continue to the basement.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate and Fosanta go into their bedroom several minutes later to find a small box sitting on their bed. "I wonder what this is?" Kate picking the box up and looking at it curiously.

"You can open it if you wish." Kate tears open the top and peers in before laughing. "What is finny Kate?" Kate gestures Fosanta to look inside the box. "I guess this is from Amistathya. After Sam mentioned you looked good with blue skin it has stuck in my head. The blue shower gel would help me see for myself."

"I agree with that although I am still not sure what I will look like blue."

"I will just go and give Amistathya my thanks as this was entirely unexpected." Kate nods and gets two clean towels off the shelf before going to wait in the bathroom.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Could I ask why it takes so long to start Sam?"

"This technology is like you looking back probably thousands of years Ami. This thing uses about three hundred watts of power and probably has orders of magnitude less processing power than an Omni-tool."

"I know this screen is bulky but at least it seems similar to our non-see-through screens."

"I think transparency is a ridiculous idea to be honest as there would be no way to display black unless the room had no light. Anyway is there a particular kind of film you would like to watch?"

"Something that would be relevant to out here in the galaxy would be nice to start with." Sam has a quick scroll through the list of several hundred films.

"The Matrix. It is a little old now but I think it would still be relevant here on Illium." Fosanta walks down the stairs into the basement.

"I am sorry to disturb you if I did but I just came to say thank you to Amistathya for the little gift."

"That is no problem Fosanta. I hope Kate finds it ok as well."

"I am sure that she will. I best get back so we can have our shower." The two of them nod and Fosanta leaves.

"What was the little gift Ami?"

"Blue shower gel Sam. I thought they may be curious after I messed with your mind."

"Why do I feel you are holding something back from me Ami?"

"I know you are probably missing a lot Sam. Could you be more specific?"

"Why the gifts for no real reason all of a sudden? I could understand if you thought Kate perhaps deserved one now but you got these days ago. There would be no way that you could have known what was going to happen so that is not an answer."

"Can it not just be me being nice Sam?"

"Ami, you are kind and will do almost anything to please anyone. There is something in your past I have not seen and you are not willing to share. Unfortunately I cannot ask you to tell me due to the contract limitation." She sighs and takes a seat.

"I do not wish you to tell this to anyone Sam." Sam nods as he takes a seat. "My father died only a few days before I started secondary school. That hit both my mother and I hard. In my first few days of school I was bullied for wearing gloves and it soon got the better of them. They pinned me to the floor and dragged my gloves off before berating me. I was upset from my father's death and angry from what they had done so I pushed the pair of them over a banister in a stairwell. They both survived with multiple broken bones."

"I guess that explains why you have no secondary education then. It does not explain it though."

"My mother and I got on well but she had spent most of her education not at school. She said it was nicer for her to read and write alone than the constant bullying was at school. She was a pureblood in case I had not mentioned before. My father was the only individual who was highly educated and when he died I had no one to teach me. My mother helped as best she could but she soon became frustrated at herself as she could not get what she was thinking across to me. We were a rather isolated family given my mother being a pureblood and me having markings on my body and so we reluctantly agreed that I should go to Illium to try and make my own way as it is cheaper here than on Thessia. She gave me an account which she would deposit credits into each week, enough for me to buy food and clothing anyway. In the end I ended up getting a contract with a manufacturing company loading the automated machinery with raw material, who gave me somewhere to stay, food and whatever I could salvage from the waste bins along with five credits a day."

"There was nowhere better that you could work at?"

"Unfortunately I was only fifteen at the time Sam and most individuals will only consider you if you are over twenty five and even then they are reluctant. It was a job and it did give me somewhere to live and there were quite a few manuals in the waste bins which I would read. To speed up the story I will skip bits." Sam nods for her to go on. "I was in my thirty fourth year there when the management wished to get rid of me as they had installed self loading machinery. They still had six years on the contract so they tricked me into breaking it."

"So you got another?"

"I did but it was difficult as owners tend to talk to each other and if a servant breaks a contract they are deemed a bigger risk. The job I finally got was freight handling in a warehouse. There was surveillance everywhere and I was monitored constantly for any breach in contract. Anyway I was ninety two and I one day received a message from my mother saying she had a new bondmate and they both wished to see and she was missing me being around. I made a request to management who were not too pleased but agreed as long as I stuck to a lot of rules. I got on one of the freight ships from Illium to Thessia to meet with them. Anyway in the end one of the rules slipped my mind and the ship back was diverted to their facility on Omega. You know the rest."

"Why did you stay in these jobs so long Ami?"

"The first individuals were the only ones willing to take a young individual such as myself. The warehouse work was my only option given I had broken my first contract. They after the first couple of weeks came to me with a renewed contract for fifty years and basically forced me into signing it."

"I get the feeling you were not treated too well."

"Two hours a day for eating, using the toilet and washing, seven hours to sleep. The rest of the time was to be spent working. We could not talk at all and we wore active limiters which contained positional tracking sensors to ensure we were where we should be. If we were not specifically given a job we had to go back to an allocated space in the warehouse. The space you were given was only large enough to stand and you could be there for hours at a time."

"And you had to cope with that for forty two years?"

"Unfortunately so and there is not really a way out if your owner does not let you. The demands continued to get more restrictive after they got a couple of fork lifts. I can only manage to biotically lift small amounts which were being handled by the fork lifts so I was practically redundant given I was limited to light fragile items."

"Let me guess. You think they either gave you a rule they knew you would break when going to Thessia, or they 'forgot' to tell you about one but it was in the written document which they would not let you look at?"

"You seem to have come to the same conclusion as I did Sam."

"I can see why you want to do everything that is asked of you and want to keep those around you happy. I guess you are nervous about not having a contract and how the average person will treat you?" She nods not looking at all happy. "I also guess the reason why the contract had no real clauses was not because I could not get near your limit but it was so that I would have to prove I clearly told you a rule in an unambiguous fashion and I had not changed it. If it had clauses it would be much easier for me to get you on a breach of contract."

"Yes Sam. I apologise for not telling you this earlier." Sam gestures her to take a seat on his knee. She does so and puts her head on his shoulder while wrapping her arms around him.

"It is ok Ami, what happened in the past stays in the past. I still have a few questions but I know this is hard on you. They can wait for another day. Do you still wish to watch a film or would you rather have a shower and go to bed?"

"Could I at least listen to something before we go for a shower Sam?"

"Do you have a preference or should I just have it play something at random?"

"Random would be nice." Amistathya gets off Sam's knee to let him open the audio player. He then presses random and then play. Sam looks at the randomly picked track and hits pause quickly.

"This is a good one but I am unsure how you will feel about it." Sam thinking Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day could be a bit too close for comfort.

"I am sure I will be ok Sam." He nods and presses play. Amistathya did not seem too bothered but the pause between the music ending and her making a move worried Sam a little. "I can see why you were unsure Sam. It is a little difficult for me to make out some of the words though."

"Sometimes it is not entirely clear to even me just by listening once so I would not worry Ami. Are you ok to go for a shower?" She nods and Sam turns off the computer before the two of them head upstairs.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Fosanta walks back into their bedroom to find Kate waiting on the bed. "Are you ready Kate."

"Sorry, I was just thinking about this weekend. Yes I am good to have a shower." Kate gets up off the bed and walks into the bathroom with Fosanta following.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam and Amistathya walk in to their room with Sam locking the door. "Ami would you like to go a bit further today?"

"I will let you touch as long as you are gentle and do not go inside."

"I am so happy to hear that." Sam strokes Amistathya's folds before going into the bathroom to find Adastra wearing nothing but her bioamp. Sam stops Amistathya from going in for the moment. "Hello Adastra. I thought you were watching something?"

"Errm, we got a little sidetracked with something else we got from Nos Astra yesterday."

"Oh I think I get it. Do you mind if Ami sees your markings Adastra?"

"I have seen hers and they were remarkable so no. Why do you ask?" Sam gestures her into the bathroom with a pleasantly surprised look appearing on her face.

"Your markings are wonderfully chaotic Adastra. I feel almost bare compared to you. They also look like they are textured as well which is interesting."

"They are smooth Athya. I would have offered you to touch them but I doubt you can feel anything through your dress." Amistathya pulls the zip down her back and pulls her arms out of the dress. She gingerly walks over to Adastra and lightly runs her fingers down Adastra's left arm.

"I thank you for the opportunity Adastra." She smiles.

"It is no issue at all Athya. I see your skin has a slight pattern in it. It is almost as if it has been brushed." Amistathya closes her eyes and sighs.

"It has Adastra." Adastra seems properly shocked at that revelation.

"I am guessing from various things that you have all said lately that you know Ami was tortured. I am guessing you know from Seliha that it was chemical burns." Adastra nods. "This is the result of caustic chemicals and a scrubbing brush."

"I apologise I did not know Athya."

"It is ok."

"Will you be needing the bathroom again any time soon Adastra? Ami and I would quite like a shower."

"Errm, Seliha will probably want to clean herself up in a few minutes before we go upstairs."

"We will wait then." Adastra nods and leaves Sam and Amistathya who both go back into their room to sit on the side of the bed. "I do apologise for dropping that situation on you Ami. I do not know quite what you will and will not be able to keep a secret from everyone."

"That was the reason why the other dress is not perfectly transparent. It makes it nearly impossible to see the slight colour differences. I hope you can keep what I said earlier to yourself though."

"You can trust me Ami."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam hears someone finish in the bathroom and given the door was unlocked knocks out of courtesy. Seliha opens the door. "The door was left open as I do not mind."

"I apologise Seliha. I was just wishing to know whether you had finished with the bathroom."

"I have. I believe I owe your sky blue one a visit since you saw Adastra earlier."

"Come in if you wish." Seliha walks into their bedroom to stand in front of Amistathya.

"I believe it is only fair given we have seen you." Seliha turns around to show Amistathya her back which was a little blocked from view by the bioamp.

"That is a much nicer spiral than mine Seliha and I am a little envious of you not having any on your arms. I do like the subtle beauty of your design though."

"I must leave otherwise Adastra will wonder where I am. Thank you for the kind words." Amistathya nods.

"Good night Seliha." She nods to Sam before going through the bathroom to collect Adastra. Sam follows her locking the bathroom door after she has gone through and ensuring the outside one is locked. Sam walks back into the bedroom. "Shower time?"

"Yes Sam, I would like to remove the dress here though." Given it was already unzipped and her arms out it only took a gentle push down her body to separate it from her skin.

"Well that looks much easier to remove." Sam laughing a little.

"It is Sam. It is a much more typical design." Sam nods as she neatly folds it and places it on the chair on the way to the bathroom.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The two of them exit the shower and Fosanta takes a couple of steps back. "Sam was right Kate." She moves over to the mirror to see the red hair contrasting with her blue face.

"I do not think it would be as nice if I was permanently blue but I do actually like it."

"I am sure Amistathya would be pleased to hear that. I have a question to ask you when we get into the bedroom."

"Why not tell me now? It is not like anyone will overhear us."

"I would feel better asking in the bedroom." Kate just goes back to finishing off drying herself. The two of them put their damp towels on the rail before walking into the bedroom and getting into the bed

"So what was it that you wanted to ask?" Kate eager to find out.

"Would you like a kiss Kate?" Kate does not wait and practically jumps on top of Fosanta. Kate does not make it too long before breaking off and watching Fosanta wake up from dream land. "It was worth it."

"What was?"

"All the bad feelings of the last two days Kate. I believe I have made my decision."

"What would that be?" Kate sitting up on Fosanta's stomach with an excitement building as she does so.

"I am so turned on right now you would not believe. Anyway would you stay with me Kate?"

"Of course I will."

"Then we have a discussion to have."

"About what?" Kate had some idea where this was going but just decided to play along.

"Well, you know when I said I was not sure you were the one." Kate nods. "I have decided and would like to ask you if you would like to father a daughter with me?"

"The concept of being a father is really unintuitive to me but I can see no reason why I would decline the offer. I know you would treat a daughter well."

"I would have given you a hug Kate but I cannot sit up with you on me." Kate smiles and gets off the top of Fosanta to sit next to her. Fosanta sits up and gives Kate a short kiss and a hug.

"Could we give it a few months? I would like to settle in to this new life a little better as it is still a little strange."

"I am happy for it to be anytime in the next few years Kate, so take all the time you need." Kate smiles.

"I could do with getting some sleep before tomorrow. I thank you for the offer Fosanta."

"It should be really me thanking you. I hope you have a good night and I think you need to go blue again another day as it makes you look so sexy." She blushes a little as she puts her head down on the pillow.

"Night Fosanta. Next time we will meld as I know you do not want me getting too addicted." Fosanta nods and smiles before turning the light off.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"How do you wish to do this Sam as I am a little anxious?"

"Would you rather get it over with before a shower Ami? I do promise to do nothing more than you offered." She nods and Sam takes a seat in the shower tray in the corner, Ami taking the opposite corner nearest the door. "You wish to go touching first as you seem a little unsure?" Sam growing with excitement.

"What should I do?"

"Just give it a bit of a massage with your hands Ami. I doubt I will be at all picky." She tentatively shuffles forward a little to gently grasp Sam's rather erect penis. "I have no idea if this is new to you?"

"Am I doing it wrong?

"No, I was just curious Ami."

"It is the first I have touched with my hands. It is not quite what I was expecting." Sam closes his eyes and breaths out coating Amistathya's fingers in a sticky white mess. "I guess I was not doing it wrong."

"No you were not. It would be wrong of me not to thank you." She nods and smiles before licking her hand clean. "Ami while watching you lick you hand clean is rather erotic, you really did not need to do so."

"I just wanted to Sam. I believe it is my turn now then." Sam nods and Ami separates her legs.

"You really call it azure as that is really weird."

"It is a toned down word for it but yes, why do you ask Sam?"

"In English azure is basically blue which is a little freaky as it is a dark blue. It is also rather confusing as I need to remember that it is Asari not English."

"I can see how that would be confusing Sam." He nods with a smile before gently touching the marked edge, Amistathya flinching a little at his touch.

"I am not going to hurt you Ami. I do like how your root like markings look like they are using it as an anchor point."

"I apologise for moving Sam. I know you will not hurt me but I still have a fear that you might." Amistathya kept her eye on Sam as if he had a needle in his hand.

"I understand. Would you rather we just had a shower and went to bed now?" She nods looking a little relieved and Sam turns on the shower.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I like how we have ended up watching films again when we have work tomorrow." Adastra reminding Seliha what happened last Thursday night when Sam had come back from the Citadel.

"One more and then we will go to bed." Adastra nods as Seliha loads up the next one to watch.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**I apologise for the later update but it has been a rather hectic weekend. Perhaps adding the story to your favourites so that you get e-mailed when a new chapter arrives will save your time if this ever happens again in the future :)**

**The next chapter will be posted on the 4th of August and it should be worth waiting for.**

**I appreciate you all still reading this and there is more yet to come.**


	40. Chapter 40 : Unexpected News

**Chapter 40 - Unexpected News**

* * *

><p><strong>Monday 6th February 2017<strong>

"Good morning you two." Sam possibly being a little too awake for a Monday morning but decided to stick with the cheeriness as he sits himself down next to Amistathya to eat breakfast.

"You sound happy this morning."

"I feel refreshed unlike yesterday Kate so it makes a change. Have you read your messages lately though as I had word you had got some information about the event and I forgot to ask you yesterday." She opens up her inbox to find two messages, one about today's client list from Armali and a second which she opens.

_Kate,_

_You requested to have one piece of help but things are growing. The event will be covered by Vetiras Broadcasting. You will need to discuss in what way this will be achieved by taking a trip to their head office on Thessia before 19th March. I will provide more information later in the week._

_Holana_

"Who is Holana?"

"One of the Consort's Acolytes that does desk work Kate. She is a little cold but very efficient."

"Ok. Well it seems we need to go to Thessia before the 19th of March to discuss broadcasting with the interested organisation who are agreeing to cover it so that is good news."

"I think that week before would be handy for a visit to them, Galactic Acceptance and any other things we need to sort as it is about the right time to begin producing the promotional material."

"What is this we hear?" Seliha walking in through the door with Adastra barely behind.

"We seem to have got a broadcaster for the event Seliha and we need to go to Thessia before the middle of next month to discuss the plans."

"Do you know which broadcaster?" Adastra curious and Sam looks to Kate who rechecks the message.

"Vetiras Broadcasting."

"Well they are one of three major broadcasters given they have done a large scale live broadcast before. Salarian backers for the technology but Asari run hence why I guess we are going to Thessia and not Sur'Kesh."

"When was live a big deal?" Kate wondering how difficult it could be with such advanced technology.

"Kate. Live broadcasting on a single planet is easy, doing the same over the Galactic communications network covering many planets is considered almost impossible. It has only been achieved four times covering every planet for every species who has an embassy on the Citadel. There is no chance of us getting that kind of support without having tens of millions of people attending."

"So it will be live to Illium and pre-recorded to other planets?"

"Probably Kate. I am sure they will say more when we get there." Kate nods to Fosanta as Sam gets a message.

_Sam,_

_Please could I see you before work?_

_Usarta_

"Well that is never a good sign on a Monday morning."

"What is not a good sign Sam?"

"Getting a request from the boss to see her. I feel like I am in trouble now even though I have barely been there at all. I will ask if you can appear in some kind of a role Ami as I know you will probably get bored being here on your own."

"I would appreciate that."

"Perhaps it is all the time you have had off lately." Kate's face showing she was not serious.

"It is not that as she offered that time off Kate."

"Since you have an appointment are you ready to leave?"

"I am Seliha." She nods before standing up. Sam gives Amistathya a hug. "I will be back this evening. If you can do something for the event I would like that." She nods to Sam as he stands. "See you both at lunch time."

"Will do Sam." He nods and follows Adastra and Seliha out of the door.

"Do you mind answering a few questions Athya?"

"It would depend what they are Kate."

"Sam has been fairly open with saying you have been testing him. How can you be bondmates and in a servitude contract at the same time?"

"It works for us Kate."

"Do you mind me asking why you are different to when we first saw Amistathya? The change has been as different as Seliha is between her two personalities."

"What you are looking at is effects from my past Fosanta and unfortunately there is little I can do about those. I do not have any mental conditions that I am aware of and I will not suddenly turn on anyone."

"I never wished to imply that Amistathya. It was just the shock of you wearing the transparent dress on Saturday. I would never have thought you would do that, not after knowing what Adastra is like."

"Myself and Adastra are different Fosanta."

"I understand that."

"What are you going to do today Athya?"

"Something for the event. I believe Sam mentioned something about the stage area to me previously so I think that would be something I could plan. Could I ask if you two have any input?" Kate looks to Fosanta who shrugs.

"We really have not decided anything for the event Athya. We will work with what we are given for promotional things. We also have no idea how big the actual hanger is so it would be pointless us providing any guidance."

"I understand."

"I think we best be leaving as I have a meeting in forty minutes. We will be back later Amistathya." She nods as Kate and Fosanta leave for work.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"What are you two working on today?"

"Well I asked Usarta to manufacture the twelve metre design for testing. She guessed it should be complete by Wednesday. I guess we should try scaling the design for twenty and see how we go."

"It is not like we have much else to do to be honest. What will you be doing Seliha?"

"I will no doubt be in meetings to go over the test data we received on Saturday. Honestly it is the best and the worst part of the job. The best because you get to throw around new ideas, the worst because there is always an accountant there who says you cannot do something because it will cost too much."

"Ahh so it is basically red tape to progress?"

"Yes. We are trying to get a change through at the moment which will increase the cost of the prototype amplifiers by about thirty percent but should reduce the final product cost by a couple of percent."

"Why will they not let that go through?"

"It is annoying as we could make the product performance much better if we had a bigger budget to spend." Seliha being more on a rant than actually answering the question.

"Can you not ask Usarta to increase the budget for Illium testing?"

"Unfortunately the budget is set from Thessia for bio-amps. Engineering Omni-tools and propulsion budgets are different as those two lines are only made on Illium."

"Ahh, that would explain why Usarta could ok us to produce the thrusters." Adastra parks the shuttle and the three of them get out. Seliha makes no response so Sam decides to keep quiet on the lift journey down. "I will see you both later." Seliha nods.

"I hope you are not too long Sam." The two Asari walk out and to the left. Sam does not have time to respond so just starts making his way to Usarta's office.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam walks into the waiting area to find Usarta sitting down on the seats. "Morning. Do you like making me feel as if I am late?"

"No Sam. I like sitting somewhere other than my desk at times and I can also see when you arrive. Would you like to follow me?" Sam follows Usarta into one of the side rooms. She locks the door behind her before taking a seat in the office chair. Sam takes a seat on the opposite side of the desk. "I apologise for this having to be quite so formal Sam but I have something important to discuss." Sam suddenly gains a feeling of dread.

"What about?"

"I looked through our information about Amistathya last Friday after you visited and I noticed she had broken three servitude contracts. It makes me uncomfortable that you are working on new products for Armali and are seemingly partners with such an individual. I would like to hear your thoughts as the council board will be reviewing this later today."

"Great." Sam sighs. "I can only say what she has told me Usarta." She gestures Sam to continue. "She said that basically in the two early cases machinery upgrades made her redundant even though there was still years left on the contract."

"Do you know about the last?"

"Medical grounds are counted as breaking the contract?"

"Abuse of property was essentially the reason."

"That is hardly fair either as she was depressed before that happened." Sam closes his eyes for a few seconds. "I guess you have my contract with Ami in there then as well?"

"It was unnerving reading Sam."

"I guess because terms are meant to be explicitly agreed in advance?"

"Yes. It worries the board as it seems from the documents that you are taking advantage of someone with nowhere to go."

"You can ask Fosanta about how I treat Ami if you wish. I wish I could provide evidence that she did not deliberately break any of the contracts but unfortunately I cannot. I apologise for that but if my opinion has any weight she is an individual who will do anything to avoid anyone hating her. She has had enough in her past and wishes to avoid it happening again."

"I will speak with Fosanta and Adastra as well later today as they have known you the longest. Unfortunately Sam I can only allow you a couple more hours on site until the board agree that you are no immediate threat to the company."

"How long will that take Usarta?"

"Wednesday would be the earliest you could return now Sam. I trust you but the board cannot allow my opinion unfortunately. I can only try and build a solid case for you through interviews."

"Is there anything I need to do before leaving?"

"There is a bioamp being made in your production room. I would like you to place it in that tube and take it with you when you leave." Usarta gesturing to a black tube placed against the wall near the door.

"That is a bit of a strange request."

"I am unwilling to say anything more Sam, just keep it safe until someone asks you for it. Do not use, show or tell anyone you have it."

"I will try my best. I hope this gets resolved soon as without Armali's help there is no way I will be able to help Galactic Acceptance in May."

"I understand that Sam. Again my apologies and I must say your contract is still valid for working here." Sam nods and gets up from the chair. "Could you tell Adastra I would like to meet her at one but you must not say what has happened?"

"I understand. I hope to see you Wednesday." Usarta nods and Sam collects the tube before leaving the room. Outside he finds Kate waiting on the seating. "I am surprised to see you waiting here?"

"I have an unnamed meeting in five minutes. I guess you have just met Usarta?"

"Yes we both had something we needed clearing up so the meeting was handy. I must leave as I have things to do. I will see you later." Kate nods and Sam leaves, feeling a little bad about having to withhold the truth yet again.

"Kate I would like to meet you now." She gets up and walks into the room Sam has just left.

"Could I ask why you needed to schedule an appointment to see me?"

"I needed to follow specific formalities Kate. I do apologise. We were going through our system this weekend and as you know we have a lot of information about millions of people. Your sparse file gave us a bit of a surprise." Kate looks confused.

"How so?"

"I guess you remember something that happened this weekend which was formally documented." Kate has a quick think.

"Oh. It was a bit of a practical joke Usarta." Kate getting a touch embarrassed about her finding out about it.

"I unfortunately need to ask you how you and Amistathya were treated." Kate seems to get a little fidgety. "Kate, nothing you say will leave the room and it will not affect what you do here at Armali."

"Why do you need to know?" Kate being a little suspicious.

"We like to randomly interview individuals who have been in a contract in the past to work out what type of individuals we should consider employing. Since you are already employed then it is good information for us." Usarta managed to keep a professional face throughout even though it was an entirely fictional excuse.

"As I said previously it was a bit of a practical joke and I took it a little badly at first. Given that, I was treated fairly, all clauses were kept to and was allowed all basics. Athya has had seemingly years of practice and was faultless. Given that, she was treated extremely well and given a lot of freedom."

"Does that seem to be generally correct for Amistathya in general with Sam?"

"Athya seems to have a number of physical problems which Sam seems to take extra care over. She also seems very happy to be around Sam and when I have asked about the contract in the past she as been unable to say anything bad about it."

"So you thought it could be a problem and you thought you would see if it was?"

"I was definitely upset that Sam even considered the idea at first. I find the idea of slavery rather horrible but Sam has found a way to show me that it can be kind and much more subtle. You would from looking at them think they are good friends or bondmates, not in a servitude contract. He cares about her a lot and she does her absolute best to reciprocate that by doing as he wishes."

"Do you know if he has ever beaten her or denied her a bed or food for example?"

"She was essentially naked on Saturday and she had no bruises. As far as I know she sleeps in the same bed as Sam and I am definitely sure Sam would allow her to ask for food or drink whenever she wants it."

"So she wears nothing around the house?"

"No she has said she hates being naked and Sam respects that. No one in the house except Sam has seen her naked. She was wearing a transparent dress on Saturday that showed essentially everything. Sam was adamant it was Athya's choice and she was perfectly happy with it."

"Do you think Amistathya would go against what Sam asked?"

"Very unlikely Usarta. She knows exactly what is expected of her and will do what is asked."

"I thank you for your time Kate. Please do not say anything to anyone about this meeting."

"I will not." Usarta nods and Kate gets up and leaves to get back to work.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam walks into the manufacturing room and finds the machine with a finished bio-amp in it. He carefully removes it and puts it in the tube before placing the tube behind a machine, hidden and out of the way. He then goes next door to talk to Adastra. "That was longer than I thought Sam. What did she want?"

"We both had a couple of things we needed sorting out with each other. Usarta has said she would like to meet you at one."

"I can do that. Are we going to start on the larger thruster then Sam?"

"Unfortunately not. Usarta has requested I take today and tomorrow off. I have been requested not to say why Adastra. I apologise."

"That sounds about right."

"You are sounding more and more like Seliha Adastra. Please understand I am in a very difficult position as I was asked not to say anything and I guess that included that I was leaving and the length of time."

"Sorry Sam. I keep forgetting you have quite a lot of things you cannot discuss."

"Usarta may be willing to say in your meeting, she may not. I will see you back at the house this evening."

"I will try to increase the size of the design while you are away." Sam nods before leaving to collect the bio-amp from the other room and leaving Armali with it.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Fosanta is going over the weekends test data before this afternoons meeting when she hears a knock on the door. "Come in."

"I apologise if this is an inconvenient time as I know the meeting is this afternoon."

"It is no problem Usarta, what is it that you wish to talk about?"

"I have a few questions after checking our personnel this weekend. It is ok you are in no way a problem Fosanta." She looks relieved. "I hope you can keep what is said now inside this room."

"I can do that."

"I know Kate was with Sam this weekend and I would like you to say how she found it and how she is now."

"I think she found it quite tough and she did say she could still feel the effects of Saturday a little this morning."

"Would you care to say what happened?"

"I only know what I have been told as I was not there. Sam was reasonable given Kate's inability to grasp that it was not a game. She does not cope well when she has no control but that was essentially what Sam was asking. It was a bit of a joke between us all as we all know how much she disliked the idea of Amistathya being Sam's servant." Fosanta decided to leave out Amistathya's part in the weekend.

"Are you willing to give any specifics Fosanta?"

"No as it would look bad on Kate. She did say to me yesterday that she actually enjoyed it even if it was difficult and exhausting at the time."

"Hmmm. Could I ask your opinion on how Amistathya is treated?"

"I guess this is about Sam then given the questions?"

"Yes, but not directly. Please answer the question Fosanta."

"She seems very happy and Sam seems to more suggest Amistathya to do things rather than demanding it. It is a striking contrast from some of the documentaries I have seen in the past on indentured servitude. Sam seems to have found a way to have a bondmate and a servant at the same time, it is nice to see."

"Do you think she would ever go against Sam?"

"If it was something very trivial and only affected Sam then I think she could as a joke. If it was something which involved others, or was something more important then definitely not. She seems to have had many years of practice and I think it would not even cross her mind to go against what was asked."

"What do you think of Amistathya personally Fosanta?"

"I am guessing all of these questions have come from a security check and you think Amistathya could be a problem for Sam?"

"She does not have a good record Fosanta. Unfortunately I am unable to say anything more."

"She seems a friendly individual but she can be a little cold at times. I do not see her as ever being a security problem though. Your best bet would be to talk to her yourself. I am sure Sam would let you and you may get a bit more of an insight. Any questions about her past will not get an answer though."

"I will have to decline that Fosanta as unfortunately I cannot provide evidence from non-employees in this case to the board. I thank you for your time and again, please do not tell anyone what happened or what was discussed."

"I understand." Usarta nods seemingly happy and leaves the room.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam walks into the house, tube in hand and looks around to see if Amistathya is around. He walks to the kitchen to find her making a drink. "Hello Ami. Please do not ask the two obvious questions as I have been told not to answer one and I will answer both shortly."

"Would you like a drink since you are here?" Amistathya seemed to ask the first question she had on her mind given the lack of a pause.

"Actually I would as it has been a long morning. I will be right back." She nods and Sam goes to the basement to hide the tube behind the desk his computer is currently set-up on. The mass of cables hides its presence well and he goes back to talk to Amistathya. She was sat on one of the chairs when Sam got back up. "I have a little bit of explaining to do. First I know nothing about the tubes contents I had other than I had to hide it from everyone and keep it safe until someone collects it. It may cause bigger problems than I already have if you find and open it so do not. Is that clear?"

"Yes Sam." Amistathya waiting for the second point.

"I am back early because of you surprisingly."

"You missed me?"

"I did but no Ami. After we visited on Friday it seems the management did some digging through their records to see if you would be a problem for them. I am off work today and tomorrow at least while they determine the outcome."

"I apologise Sam."

"There is no need for that Ami. I am glad we had that talk last night as it helped me understand today." She seems to show a little worry in her sombre expression. "I did not say anything but given it sounded as if they had all of your previous contracts to hand. That meant I really had nothing I needed to say to Usarta regarding it."

"Could I ask you why my past is a problem?"

"I think they see you breaching three contracts as a big problem. I explained that they were not your fault but your word against three documents is difficult to defend against."

"It was only two contracts Sam."

"The third at the lab was listed as abuse of property which I personally thought was unfair as it was a medical problem before that occurred."

"I am a little frustrated about that but unfortunately there is nothing I can do about it." Sam puts his arm around her.

"I understand. Anyway because of those and the fact that your contract with me is essentially blank, Armali are also thinking I am taking advantage of someone who has nowhere to go."

"They would be right with the nowhere good to go. One contract breach is bad enough. The only reason I got the third was because my mother's new bondmate knew the owner. My only avenue left now would probably be prostitution if I had to find a job myself."

"I hope you do not think I am taking advantage of you?"

"You are not taking advantage of my situation Sam. You were unaware of it when you agreed to the contract."

"That is what I thought. I am just hoping that they work this out quickly so that I can get back to making the thrusters for the event. Oh and please keep this quiet as I should not be telling you about this."

"I will not say anything. Could I ask a question Sam?"

"Of course."

"How worried are you about the contract between us ending?"

"I am not overly worried Ami. I just feel we are very close to a good balance now and it may well become overly one sided as I full well know you can, will and do manipulate me."

"I was thinking about this earlier once everyone had left and I would be happy to keep everything as it is except it being a mutual agreement. I would quite like to see if a little more freedom would be nice to have Sam."

"So you mean no set rules but if I think you are being too much then you will do as I ask?"

"Yes. As you said it seems to work well at the moment. All I would like is a little more say in what happens and a little more personal freedom. I do not think it is an excessive request."

"Well since there are no limits on the contract would you like to see how it works now Ami?"

"You would allow that?"

"If you wanted to see if it worked I may as well."

"I would really like to Sam but I hope that I am not pressuring you."

"No you are not. So the set rules are there is no need to request my approval for example from now on."

"I appreciate this opportunity Sam." She gives him a big hug. "I guess people may be surprised when they get back."

"Possibly. Have you thought about the stage yet or are we to wait until after dinner?"

"After food would be best as it is not too long before lunch time."

"I see you are wasting no time in using your new found freedom. Just be careful not to go too far too quickly." She smiles before getting up from the table to see what to make for lunch.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Hello. How has this morning been?" Adastra takes a seat next to Seliha as she drops her tray of food onto the table.

"The meeting is this afternoon. The test data is showing the bias again which would allow us to push this product forward."

"Could you not create a group of ten or so individuals to test a newer product if they were unwilling to allow the whole group to go forward?"

"Possibly. I will bring up that idea as it will mean less outlay and we would still get to test the new idea."

"I am surprised that Sam is not with you two?" Fosanta and Kate walk over after spotting them between two planters to take a seat.

"All he said to me was he has today and tomorrow off Kate. He was definitely hiding something and I will do my best to find out when I meet Usarta just after lunch."

"She will not tell you much Adastra but it should be obvious from the questions. Unfortunately I am in the same boat as Sam that I am unable to say."

"So you have spoken to Usarta as well then Fosanta?" She nods but says nothing more.

"I have too, just after Sam had. He said to me nothing about leaving though."

"So he is in trouble?"

"Adastra may be willing to tell you after her meeting Seliha." Adastra looks at the time.

"I must be going as I do not want to be late given what I know now. I hope your bioamp meeting goes well this afternoon you two. I will see you all later." Adastra gets a nod off Kate and Fosanta and a short kiss from Seliha before leaving.

"I have heard rumours the nebula group are pushing to change the power stage from a two to a four transistor set-up. Is that right?"

"It is. The board however dislikes the idea as it would mean automated testing would be inaccurate at best. It would turn the nebula class into something of a headache like the pulsar design is."

"Well my new design of sensors should be able to cope with small power spikes."

"That is fine for the development parts but it would be three or so years before we could manufacture that at 10mm."

"This is all going straight over my head. I will leave you two to discuss this and I will speak later." Seliha nods.

"Have a good afternoon." Kate nods before leaving. "Could they not roll this out as a 12mm design initially and let it filter down?"

"They have seen an increase in uptake after moving to 10mm being standard. They just think oh it is only a few years and it is only a minor increase in performance and a lot of initial development cost as it behaves a little different to the current design."

"We best be going to the meeting." Seliha nods and the two of them leave for the biotics building.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra arrives in the waiting area a few minutes early to find Usarta already there. "I am a little confused by what I have heard."

"I do apologise Adastra, could you come in here with me?" Usarta getting up and walking to the door a few paces to her left. Adastra follows her in and the pair of them take seats either side of the desk.

"Could I ask what is happening as Sam said he was offered to take today and tomorrow off? He gave no reason and I have a meeting with you."

"I am unable to say exactly what is happening Adastra. I just have a few questions to ask. If you would answer them as well as you can then it would be appreciated." She nods with a little reluctance. "We have learnt something happened this weekend in the house. Could you tell me what happened?"

"If you mean between Sam and Kate then unfortunately I know very little. I was testing with Seliha most of the day. We went out for a bit of an overnight break and came back to the house Sunday afternoon."

"So you know nothing of what went on?"

"I know little bits but it would be unfair for me to say as it was Fosanta who told Seliha and myself. I know she was also not there at the time. Kate likely told Fosanta much more than we found out as I do think Kate is still a little weary of Seliha."

"Ok. Did Kate seem fine when you got back on Sunday?"

"A little tired but she seemed quite happy."

"Kate said she saw that Amistathya had no bruises or any obvious injuries on Saturday. I guess that you can not verify that either?"

"I can actually. We were back for a couple of minutes after testing to get some things for the night and we had the opportunity to see Athya."

"Kate said that no one in the house excluding Sam had seen her naked. Is that true?"

"Yes. While her dress left nearly nothing to the imagination it was still clothing."

"What is your opinion of her?"

"She is a rather secretive individual but she has been friendly if a little distant from us. She has seemingly become quite a bit happier since the two of them went to the Citadel."

"Do you know what happened to cause that?"

"No idea. Sam can be unpredictable at times and Athya is not the individual you think she is from meeting her. All I know is that they seem to get on very well together."

"By not the individual you think she is do you mean she cannot be trusted?"

"No, I mean I think her past affects her more than she lets on. I would trust her with something important if I had the need to."

"You made hints that you and Seliha are actively together. Is that right?"

"Yes. Could I ask quite what this is all about though as it feels like you are keeping an eye on all of us?"

"We were doing checks over the weekend and we found a couple of pieces of information which were a little uncomfortable for the company. This has nothing to do with you or Seliha. That was curiosity on my part and I apologise if you thought otherwise."

"I am guessing it is to do with Sam then given his time off?"

"I am unable to answer that Adastra." She nods knowing the answer was between the lines. "I thank you for your time this afternoon. The design you requested to be made will be complete for Wednesday in testing hall two."

"Thank you." Usarta nods and Adastra leaves the room.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I have been thinking the stage area is quite easy and can be done quickly some other time. What would you like to do instead Ami?" She seemed a little surprised but quickly seemed to think of something.

"Could we watch the film we were to watch last night?"

"I like that idea." The two of them head to the basement. "Can you remember which one I suggested as I have forgotten?"

"I think it was the matrix or something like that." Sam nods before turning the computer on and waiting. "It is still amusing to watch it load."

"I know it is a novelty Ami." Sam opens the video player and opens the matrix before sitting down on the seat next to Amistathya. "I hope you can follow it ok as I know you have not had much practice with English."

"I will ask questions after if I am confused." Sam nods and Amistathya settles her head on Sam's shoulder.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Pulsar testing again gave us no more useful data. Fosanta has been developing new sensors for the next development version which should give us a better insight into what is happening. Nebula testing has shown this version has a two percent performance improvement on average but it is difficult to verify until after next weeks testing."

"That sounds like progress is being made. Are there any new ideas from this data to progress the design?"

"We as a department still wish you to consider the changing of the design from two to four transistors. It may only show minor or no improvements to begin with but it would allow much more control over the amplification stage."

"I believe we have said this for the last seven months that we are unwilling to go down that route for the nebula design until manufacturing allows its cost to be equivalent to what it is for the current design."

"I must stress that this would allow us to potentially increase the performance by quite a large amount rather than the odd percent or two. This design is getting to its limit and we are going to have to move sooner rather than later." Seliha getting annoyed at the bean counters applying copious red tape.

"Please understand our position. From the data we have received from you all it would initially cost more, be unavailable at 10mm and would be unstable when not attached to someone. A small performance improvement is not worth all of those drawbacks."

"My apologies as I do not know quite how these meetings work but looking over the data it sounds like a plausible and forward thinking idea. Since it cannot be made at 10mm yet then how about diversifying the product range a little."

"We would not consider a new product range and split the market."

"Have the new design produced and tested for only three months. That will limit costs. It could be offered commercially as Nebula-12 to recoup costs after the Thessia refit. It would be higher performance than Nebula-10 and the cost would reflect that. Nebula-10 would continue to be developed until nebula-12 could be made in 10mm. Testing and development then switches to Nebula-12 and Nebula-10 gets minor upgrades every three months and a filter down of Nebula-12 every year."

"So Nebula-10 becomes our standard commercial part and Nebula-12 would be our high performance commercial offering."

"We can already offer Nebula at 12mm anyway for extra performance if the customer wishes so it is hardly splitting the market."

"It sounds a reasonable idea to get this idea into the market with as little financial outlay as possible. I will take this to the board which could allow development to start in a couple of weeks." Everyone in the room seems relieved and pleased to hear it is to be considered. "Are there any updates on the Pulsar development which I should be aware of?"

"Output is a little irregular but until next months design we will not be able to understand why." The board member nods.

"I will meet you all next week and I will attempt to get a preliminary idea as to if your proposal will be accepted." She gets a number of nods before standing and leaving the room.

"Seliha, Fosanta. How did you come up with the idea to run the two designs?"

"Adastra suggested we could run limited testing which would reduce costs and yet still get us the data we need to prove it is a good idea."

"While we were talking over lunch I thought that we could recoup the costs by having a performance and a standard part. Armali have a large market and only using one part to cover it all is a bit silly."

"Maybe getting ideas from others to bring to the table is a good idea. Perhaps we cannot see the logical way forward because we are dealing with this every day."

"Yia. I bet you have thought about doing this but disregarded it because she said that they would not split the market. Sometimes a bit of compromise on both sides can get the same result."

"Still I appreciate the contribution." The two of them nod. "Everyone the deadline for the next testing amplifiers is this Friday." The room stands and exits to go back to work.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I really need more practice with English Sam as that was difficult for me to follow at times."

"The simple explanation is the real word is not real but a very good simulation inside a computer which is powered by the real individuals in the real world who are mentally living the virtual real world."

"I am confused."

"Is it the concept or the fact you struggled with the language?"

"Both Sam. I would pick up the language quicker if I could practice speaking it. The concept is confusing as it would require so much processing power it would be inconceivable."

"It is fictional and you have to remember that the individuals on Earth know nothing about everything out here. I would not think simulating one planet would be too excessive. I bet all the computers attached to the extranet now could do it with a lot of optimisation."

"A good point Sam." Sam smiles. "I did not say it wrong did I?" Amistathya swapping back to Asari given Sam's smile.

"No Ami. I just really like your wonderful soft, cool voice and it works well for English too it seems. I would be more than happy to speak in English while we are alone from now on if you wish to learn." She nods.

"You are being very, friendly towards me today Sam. I do not know quite what I can do in return." Amistathya tried her best to get the words out correctly and smoothly but not quite managing to do so.

"Just enjoy it Ami. I must also say don't be scared of mistakes. I have, and still do make them with Asari." She nods. "How about a drink?"

"That sounds good." Sam puts his arm around her and the two of them walk upstairs to the kitchen.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Thank you Adastra for offering your advice this morning. They are considering our request to change the bioamp."

"It is no problem Seliha." Adastra pilots the shuttle out of Armali and onto the route home. "I should not say anything but Sam and Athya have problems."

"Surely that would be something they would have to work out themselves?"

"No Seliha. I think Armali have an issue with those two. I am just hoping it does not impact the event as I can see it making a worthwhile difference."

"Can you not do the thrusters yourself?"

"Maybe but given I have about six weeks to get them all designed, simulated and tested it is a lot of work."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Fosanta and Kate walk in to the house a little earlier than usual given Kate's final meeting was shorter than planned. "Hello both of you."

"I thought you may have looked a little down after this morning Sam?"

"How can I be unhappy with Ami next to me Kate. I got a feeling Armali did not particularly like something they found."

"Usarta also talked to me as well Sam."

"I guess you both know as much as I do then."

"Usarta let slip that Amistathya does not have a good past record. She gave no more details than that."

"You sound a little surprised Fosanta."

"Well up until now I have never seen you break your arm rule and you always seemed the kind and helpful type of person."

"Let me clear this up Ami." She nods to Sam. "We are trying the agreement out that we will use after we end the contract hence there are no fixed rules at the moment. Also I know the basics about Ami's past and I am fine with it all."

"It seems Armali think differently."

"I think they are also worried about me as well as I have not exactly made logical decisions to be with Ami. The fact I have melded with her, her past, the fact she is in a contract with no defined terms. It worries them that I could make bad decisions it seems."

"I am a bad decision?"

"To me of course not Ami. To an outsider they may interpret it that way however."

"I can only hope it all works out ok Sam."

"I am sure it will Fosanta. Could I ask how the bioamp meeting went as Seliha was not exactly happy this morning."

"It went remarkably well, they are considering a request to allow us to design a high performance version." Adastra and Seliha walk in the front door.

"Hello. I have just heard the good news from your meeting Seliha."

"Yes, I am happy they are considering the idea."

"It just sounds like it is the issue surrounding you Sam that is the big problem at the moment."

"I honestly do not care too much Adastra as I can always help you with the thruster design in an evening if you wish. As long as they still support the event that is all that matters for now."

"I will go and make something to eat." Ami gets up and walks to the kitchen, Fosanta and Kate follow.

"Have you two ended your contract?"

"No Adastra. We made an agreement earlier which allows her more freedom hence the lack of rules. We have not yet decided if it will stay this way or not."

"Is this because of today?"

"No, we have discussed this a couple of times since returning from the Citadel Seliha. I admit that this problem may have brought this issue forward but it is not new."

"Could I ask what happened as Usarta asked what caused the change in Athya?"

"Nothing really Adastra, I just asked her to be herself as there was no contract. We seemed to really grow close over the time which was good but I cannot see what caused the change."

"I was given hope for a better future." Amistathya walking to the seating area from the dining room. "Food is ready." The four of them go to the dining room to sit down with Kate and Fosanta who had already started.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"You are not yourself this evening. Is he this much of a problem?" Adastra getting into bed with Seliha not far behind.

"Seliha, you still are struggling to believe we are good friends and nothing else. I do feel empathy for his position however as he seems very happy with Athya and yet that is what has caused this."

"You worry too much Adastra."

"Seliha, will you always be so on edge as I think you are unable to appreciate my point of view. I understand it is not your fault."

"I find it difficult to show emotion towards others Adastra. The other one has no problem and I would if I could, mix the personalities together but it does not work like that. I can understand your worry for him but I do not feel it."

"I know it is something you may not like to talk about but what skills do you actually have?"

"I can get any information out of an individual or remove anyone you wish. My mother taught me everything I needed when she was a mercenary, even giving me some of her jobs." Adastra goes a little grey.

"I am surprised Armali do not know about this."

"We ensured no one knew who we were and we were never paid in credits. I started as a servant at Armali so I did not raise suspicion just to be safe."

"Should I tell everyone else in the house Seliha?"

"What would you be willing to do to keep me Adastra?"

"What are you suggesting Seliha? I will not kill an individual. I have unintentionally done that once and I do not wish to repeat it."

"To leave this house and your job to start a business. Would you willingly do so if the need arose?"

"I guess so. I would at least want to know what kind of business though given your past."

"I would leave that choice to you Adastra."

"Then yes. Why do you ask?"

"I will inform everyone in the house about my past but if Armali start investigating either of us then we have to leave." Adastra nods. "Sleep well and thank you for being so understanding." Seliha gives Adastra a hug.

"I hope you do too."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I apologise again Sam."

"Honestly it is fine Ami as it was not really your fault. Just get a good nights sleep and we can talk tomorrow." She nods and Sam turns the light out.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Do you think Sam will find out tomorrow what will happen?"

"Possibly Kate. He does not seem to mind all that much so I do not think we should let it bother us." Kate nods before giving Fosanta a kiss.

"Sleep well." Fosanta nods and turns off the light.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**I bet no one saw that investigation by Armali coming. You can find out the outcome of that digging in next week's chapter which will be posted on the 11th of August.**

**I see there are many new readers and I hope you are all enjoying the story to this point. If you have a spare few minutes to review the story or to provide your opinions then it would be much appreciated.**


	41. Chapter 41 : Unpredicted Revelations

**Chapter 41 - Unpredicted Revelations**

* * *

><p><strong>Tuesday 7th February 2017<strong>

Ami walks into the kitchen followed by Sam. "I see you are both late up given you are off work yet again."

"It is not my option this time Adastra. I am surprised Seliha is not around." Sam is suddenly and roughly grabbed from behind.

"If anyone moves I will dislocate his shoulders." Amistathya looks more scared than Sam is but that could be from the pain of Seliha squeezing his arms together behind his back.

"What do you want Seliha?" Sam not sounding too impressed but not angry.

"Since I currently have the upper hand I would like to know why exactly Armali are investigating you."

"You could have been more subtle."

"Just answer the question."

"After I went in last Friday with Ami they looked through our records. Ami has supposedly broken three contracts and I think they are worried I make bad decisions given I have not only taken Ami on as a servant with that record but I have melded with her. Can you let me go now?"

"No. How did she break the contracts?"

"I only know the last was documented as abuse of property Seliha. Ami did not tell me what the first two were for other than she was tricked into breaking them."

"What were the other two?" Seliha looks towards Amistathya for an answer who seems to freeze in her gaze.

"Ami please answer Seliha or I will have two very sore arms."

"First was property theft, second was for not following corporate security procedures. Please do not harm Sam."

"I have something I wish to announce to everyone. My other said previously she did not know what I was capable of. Well in the past I have done interrogation and assassination work in the Terminus Systems." Everyone's face goes a little grey except Adastra who looks at the table top.

"Could I ask why you are hurting me then Seliha?"

"It is to help sell the point. That and if any of you say anything you will not see me coming. Is that clear?" Seliha sees Adastra, Fosanta and a very pale Kate nod.

"I understand Seliha." Seliha lets Sam go and walks over to Amistathya before putting her arm around her neck. "Please Seliha."

"She did not respond to my question. At least she is not resisting unlike the one over there did." Seliha looks towards Kate before back at Amistathya. "Are you perfectly clear that if you say anything then I will kill you?" Amistathya just about manages to nod through the tight grip around her neck. Seliha lets go and goes back to getting breakfast out of the cupboard as if nothing happened.

"Did you really need to go for her neck Seliha?" Sam hugging Amistathya who was still trying to get her breath back.

"I could have lifted her up with the rope collar that was rather handy. I must point out now that you are all a threat to me so I will not need much of an excuse to hurt you." Sam wondered to himself how she can deliver such a threat as she sits down with a bowl full of food.

"I think we should head to work as it is getting late." Fosanta nudging Kate out of her trance. "See you all this evening." Adastra, Sam and Amistathya give them a nod. Seliha gives them a nod and a warm smile which seemed to frighten them a little.

"My shoulders are really sore now."

"I made sure you were going nowhere as any sharp movement would have done my job for me. I also made sure to hurt you a little more for the message you sent back when you were on Thessia."

"And there was me thinking you might have a sense of humour Seliha." Sam rubbing his right shoulder which was a little sorer than his left.

"I do feel a little bad about this Sam and Athya. I thought it may have been less painful."

"I am sure we will both recover Adastra." Adastra nods as Seliha finishes her breakfast.

"I believe we best be going to Armali. I wish you both a pleasant day." The pair of them nod as Adastra and Seliha leave. Sam waits to hear the front door close before speaking up.

"I could try to pursue her for property damage Ami but I do not think that will wash on Illium. Could I ask exactly how you are?"

"My throat feels tight and my neck is rather painful." Sam has a careful look.

"Well it looks like you might have another bruise Ami. I am a little annoyed about Seliha's choice as asking you would have got the same result. Is there anything I can do about your neck?"

"I would have liked the rope removing but I am not going to let you. Just do not touch it Sam."

"I will not. Do you have any suggestions for things to do this morning?"

"I would like to rest my head to be honest."

"You go and lie down on the bed for a bit. I will find something to do." Amistathya stands up and gets to the doorway before stopping.

"Thank you for caring Sam."

"You don't need thank me. Just get some rest if you want it." She nods and leaves.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Sam did tell us not to touch Athya Seliha. Was it really needed?"

"I needed to make sure my point was clear. Also you gave her a hug the other day."

"I only lightly touched her, you must have been rather forceful to choke her and make her neck look sore. I am sure you could have just asked her if it was clear."

"It is done now."

"So you feel nothing about what happened?"

"I am thinking I might have threatened her with a knife instead if I had to do it again but I did not have long to think about what I was to do."

"So you feel a little guilty for hurting her when it was unneeded? Someone who is not really a threat to you and gave us gifts for no reason." Seliha says nothing and Adastra lets it sink in.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Kate, you are going to have to get a grip if you are to do your job today."

"It just brought back memories of that morning. She frightens me and the fact she has confirmed what I feared the most, it... I am not sure I can live with her in the same house."

"If you are that worried I think we need to discuss this with Adastra as technically she is a visitor to the house. I am going to see how it plays out as Adastra may have been able to show her reason."

"Still it makes me paranoid and nervous to have her around."

"I will have a talk to Adastra tomorrow if you still feel uncomfortable."

"I would have liked today but I understand I may just have taken this badly." Fosanta lands the shuttle and locks the controls.

"You have done so in the past Kate. I understand what you mean and I agree with you but I want to see what she is like this evening." Kate nods and the two of them get out of the shuttle before making their way to the lift.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Could I ask why you requested a meeting this morning as technically I should be off?"

"You mentioned you were to meet Sam this afternoon?"

"Yes I was going to meet him just before lunchtime here and ask if he wished to share a skycar to his house."

"I guess you have no idea as to what is happening then?" Whesiva shakes her head. "I would like to ask you some questions regarding your journey back from the Citadel with them."

"Am I in trouble as I did nothing wrong?"

"No Whesiva. I would just like a better idea as to what Sam and Amistathya are like."

"Sam was a little strange but he did admit he had only had three hours sleep the previous evening. The irritability and short attention span because of this was not unexpected. Athya was very quiet and rarely spoke."

"So that was it?"

"Sam told me a couple of things about the event he is planning but other than that and his rambling about being bored yes that is it. Could I ask why you are asking?"

"The board decided last night to make Sam redundant on security grounds."

"I am truly shocked. Could I ask why and what is to happen?"

"Unfortunately no. I personally am not surprised from the evidence to be honest Whesiva but he seemed to get good ideas and put good plans together so it is a pity. Anyway I may end up appearing at their house this afternoon while you are there. Just do not give him the news yet."

"I do not think I could do that anyway Usarta. Could I ask where the manufactured item is?"

"Ask Sam this afternoon for the black tube. He will know what you mean." Whesiva nods.

"I will perhaps see you this afternoon then?" Usarta nods and Whesiva leaves.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam is playing a game of Sudoku on his computer when he gets a message. He opens his Omni-tool to read it.

_Sam,_

_I would like to meet you at two this afternoon. I know about Whesiva visiting and I will only meet if you are happy with two guests but it is important._

_Usarta_

Sam has a think for a few moments before sending a reply back saying that it is ok. He finishes the puzzle before heading into his room to find Amistathya looking a little uncomfortable and upset on the bed. He lies down next to her. "Is it that bad?" Sam gently stroking her head.

"I have got over the memories it dragged up from my past but it feels very sore Sam."

"I came up to ask if you wanted a drink and to say Usarta will be appearing this afternoon as well." She carefully sits up on the bed.

"A drink sounds good. I am not sure I can see Whesiva or Usarta with my sore neck. It would look bad on you."

"It is up to you Ami but I would quite like you to be there even if I have to explain."

"I do not think Seliha would like that."

"I will say it was not me. They will probably not believe me but I know what I am saying is true which is all I care about. How about the drink?"

"I would nod but you know why."

"I would nod but it might be rubbing it in. Come on." She gives Sam a small smile before joining him to get a drink.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra and Seliha walk up to Fosanta with their dinner trays. "I see Kate has other things to do."

"I think it is a little understandable Adastra. She really does not take to the unknown or the unpredictable well."

"I did not hurt her."

"You frightened her Seliha. It is quite scary knowing you may randomly hurt someone."

"Fosanta, I do not think Seliha does it for no reason and I think scaring Kate was nicer than harming her."

"Could I ask if you feel bad about what you did?"

"I thought he deserved it through various actions in the past. The blue one I was perhaps a little excessive but I do not feel bad about it."

"It would be nice if you could promise to try not to harm us?"

"I try my best but I needed to make sure you all understood what I said as it is important for me that you did."

"Seliha said to me that she had resisted the urge a number of times lately Fosanta. She is trying to be more reasonable and while it may take some time I appreciate her effort to try and change."

"I will have a talk to Kate to see if I can calm her a little in that case."

"I need to get back to this thruster design. I will see you both this evening." Seliha and Fosanta nod and Adastra leaves.

"I still hope you are not uncomfortable around me as even though I may be unable to hold back my feelings I do try to be reasonable."

"I am just a little apprehensive Seliha, nothing more." She nods before eating the last of her lunch.

"Have a good afternoon." Fosanta nods and Seliha leaves. Fosanta opens her Omni-tool and sends a message. She waits a few minutes before Kate turns up.

"How was she?"

"Honest and did not show any real dislike to us all at all. I think we will be fine but just accept that she may randomly attack us if we irritate her a lot. I know it is not what you want to hear Kate but Adastra did say she is trying to be more reasonable."

"Perhaps we can see how it goes."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam receives a message and duly reads it.

_Sam,_

_I will be arriving soon._

_Whesiva_

"Whesiva is on her way. Do you still not want to see her?"

"What does it look like?"

"Rather sore but it has not gone a deep purple yet like your bruise did so it may not be as bad."

"Can I sit on your knee?"

"Of course." She smiles. "I should wash these dishes before she arrives."

"I will do that and come to sit with you when I am finished." Sam nods and walks to the seating area. He sees a skycar landing on the visitors pad through the window. He detours slightly to the front door and waits for Whesiva to approach.

"It is good to see you. How are you today?"

"I am good Sam." He gestures her inside and to the seats where she sits opposite Sam. "I hear you are currently off work." Whesiva giving nothing away.

"Yes, they trust paperwork more than getting the facts right which is a bit disappointing. I thought that they were better than that but evidently not." Amistathya walks out of the kitchen.

"How are..." She sits on Sam's knee and puts her arms around him.

"She is not too happy today which is not making me feel any better either."

"She has a bruised neck Sam."

"I could never bruise her Whesiva." She does not look convinced.

"Sam has not touched my neck, it is not his fault. Would you like a drink?"

"I would." She looks to Sam who nods before she gets up and goes back to the kitchen. "Usarta said it was for security issues. You are not making a good case for yourself even now Sam." He sighs.

"While Ami is my servant we like to consider ourselves more bondmates first. I know Ami got me added to the dangerous list but that was hardly her fault. So given that, if I hurt Ami enough for her to leave I would be left with no marked Asari, no one really wanting me because of being on the dangerous list and feeling rather depressed. Do you think I would be silly enough to do that?"

"I suppose not. Is the reason you are on the list the reason Armali have a problem?"

"It could have been a secondary reason but I do not feel it is the main reason. It is up to Ami if she wishes to say anything but I think it is her past which is giving me the problems with Armali though. I do not mind as I know they are wrong."

"I have been told to ask you for the black tube Sam."

"You mean the secret one?" She nods. "I will get it for you." Sam goes down to the basement and pulls it out from behind the desk before heading back upstairs. He sees Amistathya placing three mugs on the table. "I believe this is what you wanted." Sam hands the tube over to Whesiva.

"Before you ask I cannot say anything about it."

"I was not going to ask as Usarta was already reluctant to let me know anything yesterday. I do not blame her to be honest if I was being investigated as being a security issue." Sam sits down with Amistathya opting to take a seat next to him.

"Could I ask Athya why Armali think you are such a risk?" Sam looks to her given he has given her the freedom to be more independent.

"I have supposedly broken three contracts in the past. Yes Sam is my fourth owner. You can thank having no secondary education."

"I understand. Are you willing to tell me why you are on the dangerous list?"

"The result was it took two years for my skin to get back to normal, if you count easily bruised, hypersensitive skin as normal."

"So you mean things that are slightly rough to us would feel abrasive to you?" She nods. "How many things that are not considered normal do you have Athya?"

"Please could you say?" Sam nods and works it out in his head.

"At least three that are distinctly separate Whesiva. There are at least six others however which could be side effects or separate things."

"I am perfectly healthy Whesiva. I just have a few differences and need treating with a little care that is all."

"I am glad to hear that Athya."

"I think Ami would rather we discuss something else though. How are you finding Illium?"

"How the lack of any real laws works with the excessive amount of red tape I do not understand but it does. It is very different from Thessia but I do quite like it in a funny way."

"I think that is to be expected to be fair." Sam hears a knock on the door. "I will get that." He gets up and walks to the door. "Afternoon Usarta, come in."

"I appreciate you taking the time to talk." The two of them walk to the seating Sam sitting back down and Usarta sitting next to Whesiva. "I see you found the tube Whesiva."

"Sam was hiding it." Usarta nods before looking towards Amistathya.

"Amistathya, you look hurt." A little concern in her voice.

"I feel it as well but do not jump to conclusions. Sam did not do this to me."

"Could I ask what happened?"

"It is better for us all if you do not know Usarta. Just know I would never hurt Ami in any way."

"Do you mind if I ask Amistathya some questions?"

"It is up to her Usarta not me."

"Sam told me that each of the breaches were not your fault is that correct." She gives a small nod. "Do you have any evidence?"

"No, they abused the fact no one would trust the word of a servant. I just had to accept it and move on."

"I understand that. Anyway I came here to discuss your case with Armali Sam." He nods. "I unfortunately have to say that as of this morning your work contract with Armali has ended." Amistathya seemed a little shocked, Sam did not seem all that bothered and just nodded. "Armali are to pay you until the end of the month as well as a reasonable amount for ending the contract early, however there are a couple more issues."

"No point in pausing as I would like to hear it all Usarta."

"I do apologise Sam. The rest of the bad news is as follows. Due to you not being strictly part of the Enlighten crew, Armali allowed you residence here for your and our convenience. This cannot continue due to the security risk."

"I guess there is some good news?"

"There is. Armali are responsible for finding an alternative job and accommodation for you. The board have given us ten days to do so."

"I have two, sorry three questions Usarta." She motions Sam to continue. "Does the board understand how much this is going to cost them?"

"A lot less than supporting the event you are planning Sam."

"I was meaning public image wise Usarta as I am sure that it has become common knowledge that I work at Armali. If people find out I had been made redundant over some dubious documentation it will not look good."

"The board know the media are particularly interested in talking to you and Amistathya. They are ensuring you have no reason to complain other than over the decision. Accommodation will be amply sized and be yours and not tied to a job."

"So Armali are basically being nice to try and keep me quiet?"

"No they understand this is an unfortunate event which was not your problem Sam. They therefore wish to attempt to stay on at least friendly terms with you even if they would not like you to be working for us."

"Fair enough." The excuse was not washing with Sam but he kept his composure and continued. "Could I ask what is happening about the private shuttle? A job for Ami would be a nice gesture and what accommodation are Lianta and Hymara going to get?"

"We will see what we can do about a shuttle Sam. Getting a job for Amistathya will be difficult."

"I am not useless." Amistathya a little frustrated at being considered second rate to everyone else.

"I know that Amistathya. It is your unique position which makes it difficult. Could I ask if you have any particular knowledge or skills which may help?"

"I feel bad for not even telling Sam this. I, in my previous contract, not only cleaned the labs but I also repaired the machinery. It made me extra credits and I quite liked it. If someone gives me the tools and a service manual I can do a decent job."

"Do you mind if I use your job contract as insurance for Amistathya Sam?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"If she does anything to terminate her contract yours will be terminated as well. It may give me a chance to find something for you both."

"That sounds reasonable if it gets her a job that is not as a servant."

"I will see if anyone wishes to take her on with you then. As regards your security, are you willing to live with them?"

"What do you think first Ami?"

"We got on ok together on the Citadel. As long as there is enough space I will be happy."

"Could I ask what size you are willing to provide Usarta?"

"If you are willing to live together then we could probably get you something a bit bigger."

"Could I get Lianta and Hymara across to ask them?" Usarta nods. Sam opens his Omni-tool. "I apologise Whesiva for not talking too much but this is quite a problem."

"I can only imagine Sam."

"Usarta, could we agree to see the apartment before we go ahead?"

"Yes. Is there anything else you need to clear up?"

"Oh, are Armali still willing to provide support to the event?"

"We would like to do so Sam. I must also point out if you are subtle you can help Adastra on the designs."

"I will have a talk to Adastra about that." Lianta and Hymara walk in through the front door and Sam waves them over. "I have some news which you may not like and a question." The two of them nod. "Armali have made me redundant because of security concerns."

"Really?"

"Yes Lianta. Unfortunately the board decided that Sam being with Amistathya was too much of a risk."

"That sounds about right for Sam."

"Thanks Hymara. I was about to ask if you two would wish to live with us but now I am not sure." Sam just about letting slip it was a joke.

"Sorry Sam. What do you think Lianta?"

"So you have to move Sam?" He nods. "I will agree if it has only a small number of floors between parking and the apartment and Sam can get a passenger transport as he really needs the bedrooms for off world trips."

"Is this payback for all the hassle I have given you?"

"Yes but I think you would appreciate those requests as well Sam considering how annoyed you get on shuttle trips and in lifts."

"Good point. Usarta?"

"We will try our best on both of those points but no guarantees, especially so on the passenger transport. You could always use the stairs if you dislike the lift Sam."

"I just like moaning Usarta; I would however appreciate anything you can do on those points." She nods in acknowledgement. "Would everyone like a drink while you are all here?"

"We are ok Sam as we have just had one."

"I feel there are more questions so I may as well." Sam looks to Whesiva.

"I am ok thank you." Sam twigs on Amistathya's gesture as he leaves. Lianta and Hymara take a seat.

"Could I ask why you have a bruised neck Amistathya?"

"It was not Sam if you were wondering Lianta. I will say more another time."

"Ok. I guess you were a bit surprised Whesiva?"

"I was and still am. I know Armali can be very harsh over security concerns but I do not feel Athya is a problem."

"Amistathya I hope that you do not take offence but we were actually keeping an eye on you because of your rather unexpected change on the Citadel."

"I think Sam was as well Lianta."

"Usarta, I believe that Armali would be responsible for attempting to find Sam replacement work. Do you have any ideas yet?"

"I had five interested companies before I left but since Sam wishes that Amistathya have a job as well it will narrow that down a lot."

"How long do we have before we must move?"

"We are going to try and get accommodation as soon as possible Hymara but Sam must leave this house before or on the seventeenth. It is unfair the board did not allow that weekend but I must do as they agree."

"So they are giving you ten days?"

"Yes. We will concentrate on accommodation first and then move on to jobs Hymara." Sam comes back in with three mugs.

"That sounds logical. This does give me plenty of free time to try and plan event things. It is a real pity I cannot fly the shuttle though as it may have been handy." Sam takes a seat and Ami moves onto his knee.

"I am sure we can do other things Sam."

"I wonder how Kate and Fosanta will take this news."

"I am sure they will be shocked and a little disappointed Whesiva but they will get over it. It is not like we will be on a different planet. I cannot quite believe I am saying that."

"Why Sam?"

"Space travel for any real distance is still a very strange concept for me Whesiva. I remember when the Enlighten stopped for more water and I looked out of the window to just see thousands of stars. No one on my planet would believe me if I went back now and said I have been on a giant space station, let alone on other habited planets or travelled faster than the speed of light."

"We can only imagine how strange it is Sam."

"I suppose if you grow up with this knowledge then it is remarkably difficult to understand Whesiva." She nods. "Usarta, the smaller thruster I have been told should be ready tomorrow. Is it ok if I can speak to Adastra about it?"

"As long as you use nothing Armali can track then it is ok. Just do not say to me what you discuss." Sam nods. "Do any of you have any more questions as I have some other work to finish?"

"It seems we do not Usarta. Can I message you if I get any?"

"Yes Sam. Whesiva would you like a lift?"

"That would be very helpful." Usarta nods. "I do apologise for not talking much. I am sure we can meet again sometime."

"Perhaps when have a new place."

"That sounds good Sam. I hope it all goes as well as it can for you all."

"Thank you." Usarta and Whesiva nod and leave, Whesiva with the black tube in hand.

"Sam. Was it Seliha?"

"Yes but I would prefer if I could sort it out myself. Can you let me do that?"

"Yes but if it happens again I will have a word."

"Thank you Lianta."

"I will make sure everyone in the other house knows what is happening."

"Thank you. I get sick of repeating myself many times." Hymara nods.

"Give us a shout if you need us." Sam nods and the two of them leave.

"So you can fix things Ami?"

"I was given a choice to do the extra work or be a volunteer for trials. I knew from cleaning that place that most of the things they were creating were barely safe. Illium rules dictate they need to provide a list of possible side effects. Where do you think they get the list from?"

"I understand, not exactly much of a choice." She nods. "How is your neck now?"

"It does not feel tight any more just sore. Are your shoulders still hurting?"

"No they just feel stiff; a shower may help with that." Amistathya smiles as Kate and Fosanta walk through the door. "How was work?"

"It was ok Sam." Kate still only seemed to be half in the real world after this morning.

"There was some evidence of idiocy today but I coped. How are you two?"

"I am just a bit stiff Fosanta. Ami has just said her neck is just sore now."

"Why did she do that this morning through?"

"To scare you Kate as she knows that you scare easily. She went for me as I annoyed her a couple of weeks ago and she went for Ami as she did not respond. I thought it was a bit much to go for Ami's neck though. Speaking of Seliha." Sam sees the two of them walking through the door.

"I hope I do not have to hurt you again."

"I was only saying I thought everything was just on the borderline of excessive until you choked Ami Seliha. That was too far considering I had politely asked you not to touch her for this very reason."

"Adastra gave me the same talk this morning. While I cannot change the past I will not be as forceful in the future."

"I suppose that is as close as I will get to an apology." Seliha gives a subtle nod to Amistathya.

"If everyone could take seats I have some news."

"Is this about Armali Sam?"

"Yes Adastra I had Usarta around earlier." Seliha and Adastra sit on one side of the table while Fosanta and Kate sit on Sam's side with Amistathya still on Sam's knee. "Armali have made me redundant as of this morning."

"Really?" Adastra not quite believing it is true.

"I am sorry to hear that Sam." Kate being typically sentimental.

"Yes and you can all keep your apologies. The bigger shock will be from the fallout of all of this."

"Please do not drag this out."

"Ok Seliha. I have ten days to move out of this house."

"Why?"

"They are using the loophole again that you and I Kate are technically not crew of the Enlighten. That means I was allowed residence because I worked at Armali. So the house goes with the job."

"What are you going to do?"

"Armali, being the well funded sneaky idiots they are, understand getting rid of me will cause them big problems unless they keep me happy. They therefore are looking around for an apartment which we will share with Lianta and Hymara. They are also going to try and find us both jobs as well."

"What about the event Sam?"

"That is safe Adastra. I can help you with the thruster design in an evening until I leave. It is then up to us to work out a way of communicating between us without Armali finding out if you need extra help."

"If I concentrate on the larger design I think we could get it done before you leave."

"There is no need to rush and make mistakes Adastra. Also testing that smaller design might be useful for the larger one."

"Sorry Sam. It is just a bit of a shock and I am perhaps a bit desperate."

"It is a bit of a shock Adastra but I trust you to do your best with the design." Adastra nods but does not seem convinced.

"Do you know anything about where you will be or what job you will do?"

"No Fosanta. Armali are concentrating on finding accommodation first as they have agreed to pay me till the end of the month and a bonus of some kind."

"What size apartment?"

"Usarta only mentioned it would be a bit bigger if Lianta and Hymara were with us. She never gave any specifics which I am guessing may allow them to give me something smaller to save credits."

"That sounds more like it Sam." Adastra thinking larger apartments are rather rare anyway.

"So Armali are purchasing this apartment?"

"As far as I know they are Kate. All they seem to want is for us or more specifically Ami not to be in this house. I did ask Usarta if they knew how much this was going to cost them and she basically shrugged it off as a non-issue."

"So what are you doing for the next few days?"

"Possibly do the stage area for the event and make sure everything is ready to be moved. I am hoping Usarta gives me a message at some time this week to see an apartment as we requested to see it first." Fosanta nods. "I think we should get some food. If anyone has any more questions then I will try to answer them. Just remember we will not be far away and are more than happy to see you all."

"It is not quite the same though is it Sam?"

"No Adastra but at least we are not moving to Thessia for example. If any of you need my help for any reason, even if it is another servant trick then I will still be around."

"Not funny Sam."

"At least if it is an apartment there will be no basement Kate." Sam gently taps Amistathya on her arm and she stands up. Sam begins walking to the kitchen which gets everyone else to follow. "I think I may as well announce my intention to make the move a bit more special and break the contract between Ami and myself early."

"I thought you needed the contract Sam?"

"He needs no contract if I willingly offer everything Adastra."

"So you are going to stay a servant Athya?"

"An indentured servant is technically contracted to do something specific even if that specification is very broad Kate. In other words technically I have never been one. I will talk more to you later Sam." He nods.

"So you are a slave?" Amistathya just smiles before helping Fosanta prepare food. "You knew this Sam?"

"Yes Kate. You have been bothered by this since I first mentioned the fact Ami was to be in a contract. If you would kindly just consider us to be bondmates then I would greatly appreciate it." Amistathya walks out of the kitchen.

"Sorry, I guess it is hard for me to understand if I am not an owner."

"It is not perspective that changes it Kate but it is difficult for me to describe it without degrading Ami which I will not do."

"I know you do your best Sam to keep her as your bondmate first and I guess it is not easy."

"It is physically easy but mentally difficult." Kate nods and begins to help Fosanta.

"I can understand your position being difficult Sam. It is however a pity you are going to have to leave us as you have been a good friend to me." Adastra seemingly not liking this break too much.

"I will also be disappointed to see you go."

"I appreciate the sentiment from you both. I guess we will still be in Nos Astra somewhere so we will not be far away and you are welcome to visit whenever." The two of them nod.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Everyone is sat down at the dining table eating. "Adastra, do you have an opportunity to test that thruster tomorrow?"

"If it is ready I should do." Sam nods. He reaches out for his drink before laughing.

"What is so funny Sam?" Sam drinks a little of his drink noting its not too pleasant taste.

"Ami we really need a talk later."

"I know Sam, I asked earlier." Sam puts his head in his hand and sighs.

"What is the problem Sam?"

"I was expecting something to be honest Fosanta." Sam continues eating whilst deciding what to do.

"What is happening?" Sam puts his knife and fork down. He picks up the glass.

"What do you think this is?" Sam handing the glass to Adastra. She looks at it before smelling it and laughing.

"I thought it was a one off the other day Sam."

"As did I but I know the sky blue one too well."

"Are you actually going to say Sam?"

"Not until you have finished eating Kate." Sam goes to swap his glass with Amistathya's before noting they look the same and both are slightly warm. "Ami, could you fill this with water from a tap?" Sam holding the glass up and Amistathya takes it before walking to the kitchen. "I do apologise to everyone."

"Sam you do not have any need to apologise."

"I do Adastra as you will start to think I am crazy or something."

"You already are."

"Says the one who nearly dislocated both of my shoulders this morning. You do have a point though Seliha in that sometimes I do feel like I am." Kate finishes her food as Amistathya comes back in with the glass in hand which she gives to Sam. "Kate you may ask Ami what happened." Kate looks to Amistathya for an answer.

"Element zero test Kate." She takes a second or two before realisation dawns.

"That is disgusting. How could you let her do that Sam?"

"Ami is not a machine which I give instruction to Kate. I will however need to remind her that it is not acceptable social behaviour." Kate nods but feels a little foolish for making that comment before thinking it out fully. "You have been surprisingly quiet Fosanta."

"I am a little intrigued Sam." Sam looks a little puzzled. "It does not matter Sam. How do you think Hymara and Lianta will react to you both?"

"I think myself and Sam will have to explain everything but after the Citadel they should understand." Fosanta nods as Sam finishes the last of his food and washes it down with the water.

"Clean up the table and then I need to talk to Ami." They move the plates and glasses from the table and wash them. Adastra and Seliha go up to the top room. Sam and Amistathya head to the basement.

"Why did you say you were intrigued Fosanta?"

"I think Amistathya manipulates Sam Kate."

"Well that is nothing new as Adastra did and you said Asari usually do so normally."

"This is different Kate. I think Sam knows it happens but to achieve what, and how, he is unaware of."

"Do you know?"

"No which is why they are intriguing as it is likely we will never find out."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Why did you think that urine would be a good idea Ami?"

"Could I explain myself from the start?" He nods. "I like the extra freedom I have received from you dropping the rules. I understand I will probably be a bit more difficult however so I decided to suffer the mental torment and will willingly do anything you wish after the contract has ended."

"So you would go to eternity naked willingly with no resistance?"

"I would try my absolute best to not resist Sam. You know it would be very difficult for me though."

"Can I ask exactly why you are doing this to yourself?"

"I would like you to take advantage a little Sam. I have had to become difficult to get you to do something. I really think you are a wonderful individual to be able to resist using so much power but I feel bland with this much freedom if nothing happens."

"I am in a very difficult position here Ami as I do not want to take advantage of you or punish you for no reason. Tell me what is you really want."

"I want to feel as if I am yours Sam. The rules gave me that feeling." Sam contemplates that for a few moments.

"Do you want this because it is how you have lived over ninety percent of your life?"

"While that fact probably does not help that is not my reason Sam. I feel as if I owe you everything for what you have done over the last two weeks for me. Is it too much for me to ask you to take advantage of me as repayment?"

"You owe me nothing Ami as Armali paid me for going to Thessia and I was just helping out."

"Sam I felt nothing positive in Galactic Acceptance until the morning you had me strip. I was terribly scared at the time but the fact you showed that you intended no harm gave me hope. Hope that I can live a good life with a family and not be stuck in highly restrictive contracts doing menial jobs. You saved me from myself Sam; I just hope you can see why I feel how I do." Sam considers his options for a couple of moments.

"I am not too keen but, how about having the arms rule back along with only being allowed to wear transparent clothing in the apartment and not use seats in the apartment?" Ami seems to become very happy by that suggestion.

"I am unable to thank you enough for understanding me Sam. I guess that I should look into getting more transparent items and do you wish me to remain standing if I am not able to use seats?"

"You can kneel down or sit on your legs as long as your backside does not touch the floor. With the clothes you can have as much colour as your dress if you wish." She nods with enthusiasm.

"I feel so happy Sam. Do you want them to start now or once we have moved in to the new apartment?"

"Once we have moved in." She nods with a smile. "Is there anything else you wish to tell me?"

"I must thank you again and I encourage you to playfully take advantage of me at any time you wish Sam. Could I kiss you?"

"Not until you have been punished for this evening Ami." She nods, still with a slight smile on her face. "Ok I would like you not speak until told otherwise." She nods. "I would like you take off your clothes Ami." She hesitates for a second but does so leaving them on the floor. "Will you do exactly as I say as I do not want to restrain you with rope." She nods. "I would like you for the remainder of the evening to put your arms behind you but your palms together and your elbows as close to each other as possible." She does as requested. "You are not to move your arms for any reason. Is that clear?" She nods. Sam picks up her clothing and gestures her to follow him. Sam much to Ami's dismay goes into the kitchen. "I do hope we did not put you off your food this evening."

"I guess this is for this evening."

"It is Kate. Would either of you take her off my hands for the evening? You can do anything as long as she is not bruised, nothing is inserted inside her, no melding and you are careful not to touch her neck."

"I will Sam."

"Fosanta?" Kate genuinely shocked at the speed of the agreement.

"Ami you are to treat Fosanta's word as you would mine. You may unless overturned by Fosanta use your arms and act as you like. The only rule which Fosanta cannot change is your ability to talk. Understand?" She nods. "Do you have any questions Fosanta?"

"How easily does she bruise?"

"The best way is not to use any physical restraints and only touch her lightly, she will not fight you. Ami will usually behave very well if you ask her to stay in a particular position."

"When would you like her back?"

"Whenever you wish or just before you go to bed."

"Thank you Sam." He nods and leaves with her clothes.

"Why did you agree Fosanta?"

"I think Sam had worse things planned. That and I think Amistathya has the nicest markings. Could you follow me Amistathya?" She nods and follows Fosanta up to their room. Kate sits in the kitchen for a few moments before following. Sam was just coming back down the stairs when Kate was just about to go up them.

"Why did you offer Athya Sam?"

"I felt it was a good punishment Kate given how much she hates being naked. I was going to offer her to Adastra and Seliha if Fosanta said no. I would advise you to go and play with her but just be careful not to bruise her." Sam descends the last two stairs and heads towards the basement. Kate walks up and enters the bedroom where Fosanta was already getting her clothes off.

"Could I ask what you are doing?"

"If you wanted, Amistathya could fuck us both Kate. I will also offer to meld." Kate seemed keener on the idea with that addition and began to get undressed as Fosanta lies down on the bed. "If we lie on the bed on our sides facing each other and hold our upper leg out of the way with our hand we would not likely kick Amistathya."

"You know when you said you thought Sam had worse plans, he was going to offer her to Seliha and Adastra." Kate getting on the bed and shuffling up close to Fosanta.

"I said. Are you good Kate?"

"Yes." Fosanta nods to Amistathya who kneels on the bed and slowly starts fucking the pair of them with her fingers. Kate using her free hand pulls Fosanta into a deep kiss, Fosanta's eyes going back as soon as their lips touch. Amistathya changes to pulling on one and pushing on the other which very quickly has an effect given the quiet moans. She speeds up a little which pushes the two of them over the edge. Amistathya seemed relieved the two of them had hold of their legs as they probably would have kicked her. Fosanta breaks the connection and the kiss. "You can stop now." Amistathya does as asked.

"That, was easily the best yet." Fosanta smiling at Kate still half in dreamland.

"Could you clean up?" Amistathya does not nod but licks each of her finger clean before beginning to carefully clean up the sticky mess Fosanta had made. "Oh goddess I..." Amistathya making her own efforts of the last minute pointless as Fosanta cannot hold back. "I do apologise Amistathya but it is very nice." She continues to clean and is not long before she sits up and looks to Kate.

"I may as well Athya." She nods and shuffles over a little on the bed before doing the same.

"I will be back in a moment Kate." Fosanta exiting the room to find Sam. She assumes he will probably be in the basement and so goes there first. She finds him half way through a film. "Sorry to ask you Sam but do you know what Amistathya likes?" Sam pauses the film.

"In what way Fosanta?"

"What turns her on?"

"She really likes having the inside of her folds lightly touched." Fosanta nods. "Do you mind if I could see you a bit better Fosanta as I have not seen many normal Asari?" Fosanta walks down the stairs to stand under the light. "You have a wonderfully even coloured skin Fosanta. I think Saymera also said Asari like dark blue markings as well."

"They do as a rule. I am also quite proud my body does not show my age."

"This is embarrassing but I do not think I know how old you are."

"No need to worry Sam. I am five hundred and seventy seven."

"Really?" She nods with a smile. "I did not think you were that age Fosanta. I thank you for the opportunity."

"No problem but I must get back." Sam nods and goes back to his film. Fosanta heads back upstairs and sees Amistathya just sitting up, Kate still lying there with a smile on her face.

"I must apologise as I had one more than you. Athya was too playful with her tongue." Fosanta laughs a little. As she walks around to the drawer and takes out the vibrator. "I would rather not Fosanta."

"It is not for you Kate. I think we should give Amistathya some thanks. If you could take it." Fosanta hands it over. "Remember what Sam said Kate."

"Nothing inserted I know."

"Amistathya, could you lie on your back and hold your ankles with your hands?" She does as asked. Fosanta gently turns Amistathya's head being careful of her neck. "Once you have had an orgasm I would like you to let go of your ankles." Fosanta hoped she had understood but she had been impeccable up until this point. "Kate whenever you wish." She touches the vibrator against Amistathya which makes her wince in anticipation of something going to happen which does not. Fosanta begins to stroke her folds which makes her close her eyes. Kate moves the vibrator a little and Amistathya lifts her legs off the bed before letting go of her ankles. The two of them move away and she soon sits up. "Amistathya we have been pleased to have use of you. Sam is in the basement." She stands up and gives a deliberate and clear nod of thanks before leaving. "It was a remarkably good opportunity."

"I feel conflicted. On the one hand it was wonderful; on the other it was deliberately taking advantage of her."

"Would you rather have had Seliha take advantage of her?"

"I suppose not and we did reward her. I wonder how long she has been a servant though."

"We know she has had three contracts but no idea how long they were. I wonder if they would be willing to answer a few questions. Only one way to find out, come on Kate."

"You do not want to get dressed?"

"We have all seen each other before now Kate." She reluctantly nods and follows Fosanta down the stairs to the basement. Sam was still watching the film with Amistathya kneeling on the floor next to him. "Are we interrupting?" Sam pauses the film again.

"You are not. I have not seen you in six weeks and then it is twice in one day Fosanta. What is happening?" Sam was clearly joking given his tone.

"I could not be bothered getting dressed. We had a couple of questions."

"I will do my best to answer them."

"Kate wondered how long Amistathya had been a servant."

"She would hate me to be specific but over a hundred years Kate. Could I ask if you had any problems with her?"

"None at all Sam. I must thank you for the opportunity."

"No problem at all Fosanta. Is there anything else?"

"Does Amistathya manipulate you where you understand it is happening but not how or what for?"

"Not quite Fosanta. I have no idea it is happening until after the event then when I look back it makes no sense. I have literally no idea how it is done either which is sometimes a little worrying."

"I appreciate the answers Sam." He nods and the two of them leave the basement.

"Ami you may now speak but you are to remain on your knees until tomorrow morning."

"I understand Sam. I deeply apologise for what I did this evening as it was intentional and silly."

"I appreciate the apology. Fosanta seemed rather impressed with you as well which I am also pleased about."

"I think Fosanta has always wanted to see what having control is like so it was not difficult."

"I agree as she did jump at the opportunity."

"What would you like me to do Sam?"

"I think a drink and then bed. If your knees or skin feel in any way sore please stop and tell me Ami." Sam turning off his computer as he speaks.

"I will." Sam goes up the stairs with Amistathya following with a little difficulty. He walks into the kitchen to find Adastra making a drink.

"Good evening Adastra. What have you been up to?"

"I have had a quick talk to Seliha again about this morning. She feels something but she refuses to admit it."

"It is good to know that she may be starting to soften a little." Ami shuffles in and looks up at the pair of them. "Would you like a drink as well?"

"I would appreciate that Sam as it is not like I can make one." Sam goes to make them as Adastra crouches down with her drink.

"I thought you did not like being naked?"

"I have no choice Adastra otherwise I definitely would not be. If you would kindly not come any closer I would greatly appreciate it."

"I guess this is because of this evening Sam?"

"Yes." Sam thinks for a moment while making the two drinks. He puts one on the table before handing Amistathya hers. Adastra stands up and heads for the door.

"I will speak to you in the morning Sam."

"Sleep well Adastra." She nods as she leaves the kitchen. Sam seems to ponder something while he has his drink.

"Are you ok Sam as you seem conflicted?"

"I will sleep on it. Are you good to go?" Amistathya holds her empty mug out to Sam who takes it and washes it with his own. He places them back in the cupboard after drying them before the two of them head up stairs. Amistathya carefully making progress up the stairs behind Sam.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Fosanta and Kate exit the bathroom after having a shower. "Could I ask you to explain exactly why you seemed to jump at Sam's offer?"

"You are not going to accept it being a unique opportunity are you?"

"No Fosanta as you seem ridiculously happy." Fosanta sits down on the bed.

"I have always wondered what it would be like to be an owner Kate but I have never had the opportunity, so when Sam offered Amistathya."

"You could not resist." Kate finishing Fosanta's answer.

"Exactly. It felt very wrong having so much control and taking advantage of Amistathya but that just turned me on even more. I am a little envious of Sam."

"Fosanta. I did not have you down as the naughty type." Fosanta blushes a little. "Oh there we go. Fosanta is that your secret?"

"Errm." Fosanta going bright purple in embarrassment. "Please do not say anything Kate. I thought you may have guessed the other day when I was practically having an orgasm from just the thought of you tied up."

"I never thought. I can now see why you jumped at the opportunity. I am not sure what to say now though as I am at a total loss as to what to think of this."

"Could I make a suggestion Kate?" She nods to Fosanta who was still purple. "I cannot believe I am even going to ask this. Would you be willing to play with me like Amistathya just did just once in a while? I will make sure you have fun as well." Kate seems to be a little torn. Fosanta seemed anxious for a response.

"As long as you respect I can say no and you keep it reasonable then I will agree." Fosanta launches herself at Kate flattening her to the bed as she goes in for a kiss. Kate gently pushes her away to see a beaming smile on her face. "How long have you wanted to ask that question?"

"I forced the servitude contract to see if you would stay with me and to see how you did. Ever since I came back Sunday lunch time to take over from Sam my mind has been fizzing at the thought of seeing you so helpless again."

"Why did you not tie me up then Sunday evening?"

"I was both afraid of how you would react when you found out and I was mindful that you had been worked hard over the weekend."

"Can I voice a few things Fosanta?" She nods. "I hope you understand I will never be as good as Athya. If it could be kept to more a special bit of personal time when we do not have work next day I would appreciate it as well."

"I perfectly understand you may make an odd mistake or be reluctant. I will not ask you to do so often and make sure I ask you about anything more difficult before I begin. I will also make sure it is say Friday or Saturday night as I think I would not appreciate it on a work night either."

"Good. Could we try to get some sleep now as I have a busy day tomorrow?" Fosanta gives Kate a hug and a short kiss before moving to her side of the bed and getting in. "Night naughty one." Kate can only laugh at her face going purple yet again. She nods and turns out the light.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Amistathya enters the bedroom to see Sam already ready for bed. "I am not as quick as you getting up the stairs. Could I ask how I use the toilet and get into bed?"

"You have only just thought of those problems?" She nods. "The toilet one I am sure you can work out something if you are practical enough."

"Do you wish me to sleep on the floor?"

"I have something to clear up with you first Ami before we get to sleeping. As you know I am not keen on taking advantage of you and it has made me a little conflicted. Could I ask you to start a box of things which you are happy to be used at any time and you can be fairly confident will not bruise you?"

"Would you be more enthusiastic if I did so Sam?"

"I still need convincing but I would be happier about considering your encouragement." Ami lightly smiles.

"I will definitely create a box of items for you Sam. I will look into everything tomorrow."

"Since you apologised about this evening as soon as you were allowed, Fosanta seemed happy with you and you have agreed to this then I will let you stand."

"Thank you." Sam nods and Amistathya stands before heading to the bathroom. It is not long before she is in bed with Sam. He shuffles across and wraps his arms around her while going for a kiss. Ami breaks off after a while. "Thank you again Sam for even listening to my requests."

"I am your bondmate as well as your owner Ami which is also why I usually request you to do things so you have the choice to say no. I know you will not but it makes me happier you have the option." She nods and Sam moves back to his side of the bed. "Sleep well Ami."

"I hope you do too Sam." He nods before turning the light out.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**I would also like to take a moment to say that all characters will eventually be clarified and ends tied. I only say this due to some confusion surrounding Seliha coming to light in reviews. And wile on the subject of reviews, they are always nice for me to read and they do honestly give me a sense that people care about the story and its characters. I understand that they take time to write or you may not want to in which case just checking back each weekend and reading the story is appreciated.**

**The next chapter will be posted on the 18th of August.**


	42. Chapter 42 : Testing Weekend

**Chapter 42 - Testing Midweek**

* * *

><p><strong>Wednesday 8th February 2017<strong>

"Morning Seliha, you look a little tired." Kate and Fosanta just walking in to get breakfast.

"I actually feel fine. I think we are up earlier than usual as well." Seliha looks to Adastra.

"We are a little. You two look awfully cheerful for midweek."

"Did Sam mention that he let me have Amistathya for a while last night?"

"He seemed to skip that when I saw the two of them in the kitchen last night before going to bed. Were there any limits Fosanta?"

"Three Adastra, not to bruise her, not to insert anything and she could not speak. Anything else was on the table."

"And given I can hear the enthusiasm in your voice from upstairs Fosanta I am fully expecting you to ask me if you could have her again sometime." Sam walking in through the door with Amistathya close behind. "Morning you two." Seliha and Adastra nod.

"I would greatly appreciate it if I could Sam." Fosanta seemed to just manage to contain her excitement.

"I will see after we have moved. Adastra, Seliha I am open to giving you the same opportunity but I hope you understand that I would like to be in the room with you."

"I understand your caution after yesterday. How is your neck this morning Athya?"

"Tender but at least I do not have to be as careful as I did yesterday. I appreciate you asking however Adastra."

"What do you two do all night anyway? I would have had you down for either going out clubbing or fucking each other silly."

"We watched a couple of the new films recently released. They were not all that good to be fair." Sam nods to Adastra as he begins eating. "Is there anything I should know for the testing Sam?"

"Oh. hmm." He takes a moment to get his brain into the right subject after the abrupt topic change. "The switching speed needs testing to find the maximum it can do. Testing to see how it reacts to large transient loads would also be very helpful." Adastra nods. "Oh and do not message me with any details, wait until you get back to the house this evening."

"I will Sam. Are you ready to leave?" Seliha nods.

"Have a good day everyone." The four of them nod before Adastra and Seliha leave to head to Armali.

"Fosanta, have you and Kate actually talked yet?"

"About what Sam?"

"I stated on Sunday that Kate would probably be a good servant and Ami told me last night you seemed overly keen on being an owner." Fosanta tried her hardest to hide the purple tinge. "Ok I know the answer. You do not need to be embarrassed Fosanta as I would feel the same in the same situation. I have just had time to get comfortable with Ami. I will make sure not to mention this to anyone else."

"I appreciate that."

"Athya, could I ask how you felt after you left our room?"

"Rather tired Kate. What I was requested to do was easy, coping being in a room naked with two individuals who were free to do what they wish was anything but. Sam I need to thank you for helping me with that."

"How did Sam help?"

"There was only Sam who knew I like the inside of my folds touching Kate. I am thankful you asked Sam Fosanta as it was just enough to settle the anxiety."

"No problem Amistathya. We should be going Kate if you have an appointment at ten. I will see you both this evening."

"Have a good day." Sam and Amistathya nodding to the pair of them as they leave.

"Do you want some help with items for the box Ami or would you rather surprise me?"

"I am sure you would prefer the surprise."

"I will watch a film or play a game or something then." She nods as the two of them finish off their breakfast.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra and Seliha are walking to the lift when Adastra receives a message. "I wonder who that could be."

_Adastra,_

_The thruster is in testing hall 2, floor fourteen of the propulsion building. I will be waiting to help you with testing._

_Sephaila, head test engineer, plasma propulsion._

"Oh interesting. I did not know there were different test engineers for ion and plasma propulsion."

"It makes sense. Are you still going to let me have a look at one of them some time Adastra?"

"Of course Seliha. I just need to get today out of the way first as I doubt there will be much happening this morning other than basic tests."

"If you would like me to look at it then can it be tomorrow? It is testing again this weekend which makes Friday very busy."

"I will do my absolute best to do that Seliha." She gives Adastra a kiss and a smile before the lift doors open. "I will see you at lunch time." Seliha nods before heading towards the biotics building. Adastra quickly gets to the propulsion building using the long skybridge and is soon waiting to get to floor fourteen. She walks out into a small room with a door in front and a staircase to the right, an unknown Asari waiting at the bottom.

"Adastra?" She nods. "My name is Sephaila and I am going to help you to get all the test data that you may need from this thruster this morning."

"It is good to meet you. I was a little surprised Armali split the propulsion department so rigidly."

"Ion products are produced quickly and inexpensively unlike our plasma products. It is a natural split which they have taken on-board as the only similarity is an end product which provides propulsion." Adastra nods. "Would you like to have a look at the thruster first?"

"I would as looking at a screen never gives you a good feel for what you have actually designed." Sephaila opens the security door and gestures Adastra inside. The two of them walk into the testing hall with the mouth of the thruster facing them. "Oh."

"I get that reaction quite a bit with the twelve metre designs. The fact this thruster is fifty four metres in length with a standard thirty eight metre plasma tube surprised me."

"It is an awful lot bigger than I thought it would be looking at it on a screen."

"It is trying to imagine the scaling that throws you." Sephaila keeps walking down the side of the thruster with Adastra looking up at the large tanks, electromagnets, RF antenna and various cooling and electrical connections. All were meticulously laid out and Adastra had to laugh when she saw the back end of the thruster. "I had that exact same reaction. Who thought colouring the pipes was a good idea?"

"It was Sam as I was struggling to work out what was going where. I thought it was a reasonable idea as it would probably help servicing it later."

"A reasonable idea, it still looks silly having red and blue pipes when everything else is white or silver though." Adastra looks back at the pipes and laughs again.

"It is only a prototype at least. Could I ask if you know what the purpose of this design is?"

"No. Could you tell me as we walk to the control room?" Sephaila walks toward a metal staircase which seemed to lead to a small room in the middle of the hall wall.

"The design is to both see if splitting the water in the thruster is a good idea and to see how fast the plasma can be switched to see if it can be used in audio applications." Sephaila nods before gesturing Adastra into the room and closing the door.

"Do have a seat." Adastra takes a chair and wheels it closer to where Sephaila has just sat down in front of a large console. "Well the first goal is easy to test. I am sure you know how to start a plasma thruster."

"You are letting me turn it on?" She nods and Adastra gets a little giddy. Adastra does the usual checks before turning on the rf amplifier with an audible pop from the thruster. Adastra looks out of the window. "I think it started but I cannot see anything." Sephaila leans over and turns off all the lighting in the hall which clearly showed a faint blue glow emanating from the thruster. "It looks like an ion thruster."

"It does. As you know this thruster has a ceramic plasma tube so we must allow the temperature to stabilise first." Adastra nods seemingly fascinated by the weak blue glow coming out of something so large.

"What is the power use at the moment?"

"Thirty four Gigawatts Adastra. That is quite a lot higher than I would expect."

"The RF and electromagnet drivers have been doubled as well as the water splitter."

"I keep forgetting that this design is not gas fed. You can see what it can do if you wish Adastra, just keep it slow." She smiles and gradually increases the power watching the light blue hue turn to a deep blue cone.

"How much power is it using?"

"Sixty five Gigawatts Adastra. It is a little up on raw power but that is likely a result of the electromagnet drivers being improved."

"It looks impressive. The only thing that matters now is how it copes with transient loads and its response time."

"Do you want the response from ten to ninety percent Adastra or something smaller?"

"Is it slower if the change is smaller?"

"It depends on the drive software. On some thrusters it is."

"I am sure if it is software changeable then it does not matter, ten to ninety should be fine Sephaila." She nods and orders a couple of test programs to be run before starting the test. The thruster settles back down to idle before emitting five bangs which Adastra was sure she could feel the floor moving too. "Can you feel this in the building?"

"It is on a damped sled for testing and the building is designed to handle this kind of shock but yes on larger designs you can feel it."

"I wonder what the twenty metre one will be like." Adastra watches on as the thruster performs a reverse of the first test. It oddly seemed to make less noise in this test.

"You are going bigger than twelve?"

"Yes Sephaila. Usarta has agreed to it as these designs are to be demonstrated to the public in May."

"I see now why this was built so quickly. Four days is not long. Anyway if you want it for a speaker it is going to need some changes."

"What was the worst test?"

"The plasma creation time Adastra. You could get maybe two kilohertz from it at the moment at full power." Adastra opens her Omni-tool and does some calculations.

"So that means it will have ten percent amplitude slew at sixteen kilohertz?"

"It will probably be nearer zero Adastra as the driver boards are really not designed for switching quickly."

"I am asking your recommendation here, what do you think needs changing to give the improvements needed?" Sephaila looks at the test data.

"The plasma seems stable so the electromagnetic confinement is fine. I know it is going to ruin the efficiency if that is a design goal but, I would replace each driver board for two smaller ones which should switch faster and double the amount."

"I am guessing the RF antenna will have to be remade as well given it is going to have to handle double the power."

"More than likely unless you left a large safety margin in the design."

"I just used the standard design. I will have to have a talk to Samalya and Thea after lunch about how long the changes will take and the recommendations."

"If the RF antenna needs changing it will take two days to manufacture and replace it. The RF amplification boards are quite a bit quicker. I have seen this done many times."

"Ahh. So it will be Friday or Monday now then?"

"Since you have to design the part it will be Monday now since it is lunch time."

"Are you coming to the Skylounge?"

"Unfortunately I need to go to testing hall three to run some tests on the thruster in there before lunch. I am sure you can find your way out and I hope to see you on Monday Adastra." She nods and opens the door to see the lights in the hall turned back on. Adastra can hear the thruster clicking as she walks past it to get to the lift.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Two Asari approach the reception desk, one having a slightly irregular gait as she walks which gains Holana's attention as a little different. "I am Holana. How can I help you both today?"

"I am not sure that you can help me Holana. I would like to ask if you know how I could get in contact with Amistathya?"

"I have had lots of individuals wanting to know how to contact Sam this week but none for Amistathya. What are your intentions? If you do not mind me asking." Holana having to make a conscious effort to try and be less cold.

"While meeting Sam would be nice Holana it is Amistathya who I am more interested in. I have not seen her for over several decades and the news articles last week made me feel guilty for not trying to do so before now."

"If you would wait then you could see Talima."

"What do you think Asanya?"

"She would probably be able to help you Nyphana."

"I will wait if that is ok with you Holana."

"Do take a seat, she will not be long."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I wonder where Adastra has got to." Fosanta a little curious.

"She no doubt is still with the plasma thruster."

"Actually I am here. It is a long walk along those testing halls." Adastra places her tray down on the table before taking the seat next to Seliha.

"What was it like?"

"It was quite impressive Seliha but it needs changes making before it is tested again. I will try and get you to see it then which is likely to be Monday now. I did get to turn it on for the first time though which was exiting."

"I cannot see how you can get so excited at turning something on."

"Kate, what about that jet engine?"

"Adastra does have a good point Kate as you were both a little giddy that evening."

"Sorry Adastra, maybe this morning is getting to me. It has just been long and annoying."

"Has anyone else got anything fun to do this afternoon?"

"Unfortunately Adastra the biotics department seem to be having a sleep before the rush to bioamp testing." Adastra laughs a little at Fosanta's description.

"I wish I could hang around but I have another meeting."

"I need to go as well. Have a good quiet afternoon you two." Seliha and Fosanta nod before Adastra and Kate leave.

"Your description was rather apt."

"I thought so. It is just really slow today. I must ask how you are today Seliha after yesterday."

"I am ok but I do feel conflicted."

"I think I can understand roughly what you mean Seliha. Just take it easy and try not to stress yourself." Seliha nods. "Do you think we should get back to not doing much?"

"I think so as I can always find something to do." Fosanta nods and the two of them head back to the biotics building.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Amistathya walks down the stairs to the basement to see Sam playing on a game. Sam sits back and sighs as he dies once again. "Would you like some food?"

"Surprisingly setting the difficulty to hard makes it hard, who'd have guessed?" Amistathya smiles. "Yes food sounds good. How have you got on this morning?" The two of them make their way back up to the kitchen.

"I have nearly finished Sam. I guess they will be here Friday or Monday, which I hope is early enough."

"I think it should be since I haven't heard anything from Armali."

"I did not get much more for the box as I am weary about getting some things if we decided to have children shortly."

"Ami, you sometimes need to think of yourself. I believe the consort said that a couple of weeks ago."

"Ok Sam. I will finish off upstairs after lunch and then come and find you."

"I will probably be still on my computer. I may watch something though as that game was annoying me."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"A good morning to you Nyphana. I am Talima. Would you care to follow me to somewhere more private?"

"I hope you do not mind if Asanya comes with me."

"Of course not." The two of them follow Talima to a small side room with a couple of comfortable sofas and a table in the middle. She gestures the two Asari to come in and take a seat before she locks the door and takes a seat on the spare sofa. "Holana informed me that you are trying to find out how to contact Amistathya. Is this true?"

"It is. Can you help me or do I need to go elsewhere to find her?"

"My apologies for not answering that question for the moment Nyphana. Holana was curious if it is a co-incidence or not, but have you changed your name in the past?" Asanya seemed interested in knowing that answer as well.

"I have but I really do not wish to say what it was Talima."

"I have been given a name and I would like to see if what you say matches before I talk about Amistathya. We have individuals who try to get personal information and we need a solid test to see if they do know the individual in question or not."

"I guess it was Sha'ira who told you?" Talima nods. "Nyxia Talima. I apologise for not being truthful with you Asanya."

"Are you sure you wish Asanya to be here?"

"She has been with me through a lot Talima. I am sure she will understand." Asanya nods to help reassure Nyphana.

"Would you like to know anything more than how to contact her Nyphana?"

"I was a little worried when I heard that she was no longer at Atansys Chemical Research Talima. I asked my friend who owns that company and she said she had to be let go after misusing company property. This made me rather anxious to find out how she was coping as she really needs someone to lean on during difficult times. I unfortunately have no way to ask or help her myself otherwise I would."

"I hope this does not worry you but she attempted to commit suicide Nyphana."

"Oh Athya."

"The records state that the ingested substances were mostly vomited and so there was no chance of it actually killing her. I must say that she is now fine excluding a few new, minor medical issues." She breathes a sigh of relief.

"Could I ask what kind of issues? I know she has a few from her past or what she has always had but I would be keen to know."

"She can only meld with certain people and she can no longer taste anything. There was something about not being able to digest protein fully as well but the records indicate that she is only marginally below normal."

"Is there anything else?"

"Nothing more from the suicide attempt Nyphana. The hospital staff after keeping her in a couple of weeks needed to transfer her somewhere. Given her mental and long list of medical issues they decided to send her to Galactic Acceptance, Armali. The staff there contacted Sha'ira after a few days of being unable to help and she felt Sam would be the best individual to help her as he got on very well with Adastra."

"I heard that rumour but do you know if it is true?"

"The fact Sam has seen Adastra's markings?" Nyphana nods. "Yes it is true, he has also seen another individual who has markings as well. He seems to get on well with marked individuals hence Sha'ira's recommendation."

"I guess she liked him enough to stay with him?"

"Yes but neither Sha'ira or myself could understand her wishing to be Sam's servant. I must assure you that Sam treats her as a bondmate and they seemed remarkably comfortable and happy with each other last week."

"I guess that you do not know her full medical history then Talima otherwise it would make sense."

"That is confusing as Illium provided their records to Galactic Acceptance and they can obtain records from Thessian sources on individuals in their care as well. Has she spent time elsewhere?"

"She has not as far as I know but I unfortunately do not wish to say any more. I hope you understand Talima."

"My apologies. You are free not to answer any of my questions if you feel I do not need to know." She nods.

"Could I ask if you know what they are doing now?"

"We found out this morning that Armali Council had been assessing Sam's security risk given he is now with Amistathya. They have unfortunately decided to terminate his work contract with them as they felt she was too much of a risk and Sam was adamant he was to stay with her. This means he will be required to leave the house he is currently living in. This is why we cannot give you contact information to meet them directly."

"I have been advised not to travel to Illium for a couple of reasons. I therefore would have to wait until they visited Thessia before meeting with them."

"We know Sam is likely to be going to Thessia within a month but when that will be we do not know. The best we can offer is anonymous messages to Sam and to keep you informed of what is happening. Keeping up with news articles would give you quite a lot of information however."

"I would be grateful for that support Talima as I would really like to see her again."

"It is no problem Nyphana. If you have any other problems or questions you know where to come."

"I do. I hope you have a pleasant day."

"The same to both of you. It is always a pleasure to meet new individuals." The two of them nod before Talima showed them the way out.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra after getting some advice from Thea and Samalya had created the new antenna for the plasma generation. She orders it to be made before sending a message to Seliha asking if she wishes to go back to the house earlier. She is not waiting too long before she receives a message back.

_Adastra,_

_I have little to be doing here today so leaving early would be good._

_Seliha_

Adastra turns off the consoles screens and heads towards the biotics building.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I guess you have finished then?" Sam talking but not looking around initially.

"How did you know I was here Sam?"

"I can hear the markings on your toes squeak along the floor." Sam turns around and laughs at her confusion. "No I heard the door open Ami."

"Are you watching anything good?"

"Actually no, I thought it was better than this but that was several years ago. So when will the things arrive and do you want to have a drink?"

"They say Saturday morning Sam which I think is rather reasonable and yes." Sam closes the video player and walks up the stairs with Amistathya. They walk in to find Adastra and Seliha in the kitchen.

"Wow you are back early."

"Seliha had nothing to do and I do not have much to do until Monday."

"How did testing go?"

"Sephalia let me start the thruster which I was happy about."

"I guess she was the test engineer?" Adastra nods. "What were the results?"

"It needs an entirely new RF amplifier and antenna as it was rather slow. The results said it would basically do nothing at all with sixteen kilohertz."

"Well the higher frequencies do not need as much movement so a bit of a drop-off can be tolerated. Did it look good though?"

"An awful lot bigger than you think, also those coloured pipes look amusing." Sam laughs a little.

"I guess you are waiting now for the new parts to be fitted now Adastra?"

"Yes. I think I may scale the design tomorrow and see how it goes." Sam nods.

"Did you get a message?"

"No Seliha, we have not heard anything today. It has been a little boring to be honest so I may go into Nos Astra for a walk around tomorrow."

"It is a pity you could not come with me to work Sam as we could do with the help."

"Adastra, I believe that you can get the thrusters working and produced on time. It is things like what the event is going to be that takes the time. Sorting out people for doing things, get the stage area arranged and built. Sorting out catering and services are also other things that need considering and that is before even considering promotional materials."

"Could I suggest we try to decide on what the event will be and the promotional things this Sunday?"

"That sounds a good idea Adastra." Sam nods in agreement with Seliha as they all sit down with a drink.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Nyphana, could I ask why you apologised for not telling me the truth earlier. People change their names for many reasons and sometimes they do not want individuals to know their previous name. It is understandable that you would be one such individual."

"I appreciate your understanding Asanya but I was not really apologising about my name. Amistathya is my step-daughter and that is the reason why I needed to come here."

"So you have a daughter even if it is not your own." Nyphana nods. "It is not really a lie when you said to me that you had no daughters then."

"I do have a daughter as well Asanya but for many reasons I cannot say who or where she is. As I said I deeply apologise for lying Asanya but I needed to try and protect everything as best I could."

"I understand Nyphana. Can I ask does Amistathya have markings then?"

"Yes. Her mother saw them as something wonderful but hated the comments she got from individuals who saw them. Most individuals blamed it on her being a pureblood and faulty genetics from mating with our own species. She was practically the cities example of why purebloods having daughters is a bad idea. I really wish individuals could be more open minded and accepting but I fear that is asking too much."

"You do not need to say any more if you do not wish to. I can tell that it has not been easy for you."

"It has not, especially these last hundred and ten or so years. I will explain more when I get to talk to Athya but I owe an explanation to her first." Asanya nods still seemed a little aloof as she tries to process everything she has been told this afternoon.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam gets a message as everyone is eating their evening meal around the dining table. "Is it set to message you when you are eating Sam?"

"Or early in the morning when Sam has forgotten to set mute."

"Oi. I only forgot twice." Amistathya smiles as Sam opens the message.

_Sam,_

_My apologies about your situation. Be positive and the outcome will follow._

"I am beginning to think it is Holana who writes these messages and just forgets to put her name on the bottom." Sam shows Amistathya the message.

"What does Sha'ira say Sam?"

"That she wants sex next week Adastra." Sam is happy he even gets a bit of a laugh out of Kate as well as everyone else. "I was joking. She is basically spying on me as she has found out about me loosing my job and is basically recommending to stay positive."

"So nothing helpful then."

"Not really Seliha but it is nice to know you have friends outside of this house at times. It is not like I have heard anything from Kriana, Emala or Shiala. Ok perhaps not Kriana or Emala after what happened between the Citadel and Thessia. I guess Shiala is just busy now and has better things to be doing."

"If Shiala is as busy as our security then she should have some free time."

"It may be worth seeing if we could get together somewhere when we visit Thessia at sometime in the near future."

"I like that idea Fosanta even if it is just for an afternoon. I am sure Tahomi would be more than willing to join us as well unless she is on a ship in the middle of nowhere."

"Tahomi?"

"She was the Enlighten's second pilot Athya. I did advanced flight control with her." Amistathya nods before finishing her meal.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam was just about to mute his Omni-tool before going to bed when it beeps. "I was just about to mute it Ami."

"You sound very defensive about that Sam."

"No honestly I was." Sam checks the message.

_Sam,_

_I thought it only fair to keep you informed that we are still trying to sort everything out. It is at the moment looking promising to have everything resolved by the deadline._

_Usarta_

"A message from Usarta saying they are doing stuff but nothing definite yet."

"I bet it is me that is causing them the most problems."

"Ami, please stop blaming yourself for this. Remember what Sha'ira said earlier and try to think positive. If they are having issues on the job side of things then think of it as payback for them starting this in the first place." Sam gets into bed and puts his head on the pillow.

"Perhaps but it still makes me feel a little guilty."

"Ami, you are worth a lot more than you think you are and are definitely worth an awful lot more than a little bit of minor inconvenience. You really need to take that to heart as it may at times be the only thing that gives you hope."

"I will try."

"Sleep well Ami." She nods back with a smile before Sam turns the light off.

* * *

><p><strong>Thursday 9th February 2017<strong>

"I guess Sam and Amistathya are not going to be getting up as early this morning."

"To be honest Fosanta, I do not blame them as they do have very little to do for the moment."

"Does anyone have anything to do at work today?" Kate wondering as her week has been a little manic up to now.

"Perhaps a bit of preparation for the weekend testing later today."

"I will be trying to design the bigger thrusters for the event while I wait for the one in hall two to have its new boards and antenna fitted. What are you doing today Kate?"

"Three meetings, one this morning at ten and two early this afternoon. That is better than the six I had yesterday."

"That would explain why you were keen to get to sleep last night."

"Sorry about that Fosanta but yes I was tried." Adastra looks at the time.

"We should be going. I will see you both at lunch time."

"Have a good day both of you." The two of them nod and leave.

"Do you have to ask certain questions to every individual you see Kate?"

"There are a few I can pick from and the rest are so that I can get an idea of the individual. I try to make them a little strange to stave off the boredom."

"So you do have some say then."

"Kate will be happy about that." Kate nods to Fosanta before turning to see Sam walking into the kitchen for breakfast.

"Morning Sam. I am starting to get a little tried of that joke."

"I guess you have a later start as I was expecting to get down here and find I was alone."

"I have my first appointment at ten Sam. Where is Athya this morning?"

"I am here Kate. I just do not feel too great this morning." Sam puts his arm around her which gets a tired smile on her slightly pale face.

"What is wrong?"

"I have a bad headache and feel rather exhausted. I would prefer just to have a quiet day."

"I think we are going to get one of those anyway Ami."

"I think we should leave as my appointment is soon. I hope you get better Athya as your neck looks better this morning."

"I can still feel it was hurt but you are right in that it is better. Thank you Kate." She nods.

"We will talk again tonight." Sam and Amistathya nod to Fosanta before the two of them leave them to have their breakfast.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate gets to her office a few minutes before ten to check who she is to be meeting. She takes the datapad off the desk and walks back down the corridor to the reception area to see one Asari. "Good Morning and welcome to Armali Council's Illium facility Olissa. My name is Kate. Would you kindly follow me." She nods and the two of them enter one of the meeting rooms leading off the reception area. Kate gestures her to take a seat. "Please treat this informally Olissa as I am sure you know much more about this process than I do. Could I ask why you are here today?"

"Sentix need a renewal on their propulsion license. We are overdue but because of the change from Thessia to Illium the council board gave us two months in which to go through the process."

"Is Illium much more convenient for you than Thessia was Olissa?"

"Of course Kate as our facility is barely twenty minutes away rather than several hours."

"Could you describe the basic principle behind an ion drive for me Olissa?"

"Charge differential accelerates a propellant. Could I ask why you need to ask that question Kate?" Kate laughs a little.

"You would be surprised at the amount of individuals I have seen in the two weeks who know nothing other than who they supposedly work for and that they need to obtain a license. I do apologise but it wears thin when they try to bribe me into giving them what they request."

"They may be just random individuals trying to meet you Kate."

"Still it makes my job more difficult and I am sure my security would hate me if I agreed to meet them outside of work. Could I ask why you want Armali's propulsion products?"

"We have been rather impressed at the durability of Armali's products over the last six years. ASL Enlighten was the first ship we made with the thrusters because of us having a very limited budget but needing something which seemed durable enough for the role. We have since then offered them in very limited situations on other ships. We, after stripping the Enlighten down, were almost in disbelief at the small number of repairs required to make them good enough to offer for fitting into other ships."

"You mean the smaller ones?"

"Yes, someone had obviously tried to repair one but the electromagnet coolant casing had cracked so it had no magnetic containment to create the plasma. A new casing which is several hours to change and after testing we offered it to a client in a private transport who was very pleased with it."

"That would explain why Adastra and Sam were unable to repair it."

"My apologies I keep forgetting that you were on that ship. It would not be something you could realistically repair while in space unless you were very determined, had a replacement and had several days to spare." Kate nods.

"I was going to ask about May but this is hardly the best time."

"I guess you mean about us offering hanger four and five to Sam?"

"Yes, I cannot imagine the size of the space."

"It looks a lot smaller with a ship inside. I am sure we can make some arrangement for you to see it late April if you wish as we have a freighter in for a full refit at the moment. I guess you are to help Sam?"

"Yes which is a little difficult when I have no idea how large the hanger is."

"If you go on our extranet site we have a few pages about our first seven hangers and there are some images on there. If you search Sentix Spaceworks then you should find it easily enough."

"I appreciate you helping me. I also appreciate you actually coming and not sending some random individual on your behalf. I will ensure your request is processed and you should have your licence by tomorrow morning if all the checks turn out ok." Kate stands and heads towards the door.

"That is quite a bit quicker than it was last time."

"I would not know what it used to be like but I like to be efficient. It has been good to meet and speak to you today Olissa."

"No problem Kate. Have a pleasant day."

"You too." She nods before leaving out of the reception area to the private docking area. Kate heads back to her office to process Olissa's request for a licence renewal.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra spots Kate's red hair from across the Skylounge and makes her way over. "How was this morning?"

"It was remarkably pleasant Adastra. I actually found out something you may be interested in knowing."

"What would that be?"

"It was a cracked coolant casing which stopped that thruster of working which you tried to repair." Adastra laughs.

"That would explain why it did not work. It must have been a small crack as I did not notice it. I guess your meeting was with someone from Sentix then?"

"Owner Adastra. She seemed to be a lot more technically minded than some that I see. I mean the limit of some is that the thrusters make the ships go forwards."

"I think most people would think that Kate."

"Think what?" Seliha and Fosanta walking up to the table from behind Adastra.

"That a thruster magically pushes ships along Seliha. Did she say what they had done to the ship Kate?"

"They seem to be stripping it Adastra. I know at least one of the thrusters has gone to a new home after being repaired."

"I guess your interview was with Sentix this morning then Kate?" She nods to Fosanta. "It is a pity they are stripping that ship as it had been through a lot."

"It did not look all that presentable though."

"Perhaps. I still would have liked to have seen it again though Seliha."

"How has your designing been this morning Adastra?"

"You cannot scale a twelve metre design to a twenty. Another of the designers had a fifteen design which was very helpful but it is just silly how much more complex it is. I can see why Armali stick to twelve as a maximum."

"I must be leaving as I have another meeting in fifteen minutes. I am just hoping it is not a silly one as I am having a reasonable day up to now."

"Have a good afternoon." Kate nods to the three of them before leaving.

"How has your morning been in the biotics building you two?"

"I am just looking into refinements to the next lot of sensor development Adastra."

"I was looking at what the new changes would get us if we get the go ahead."

"I guess it is another slow day then?" The two of them nod. "I best be getting back." The two of them nod and it is not long before Fosanta gets a message.

_Fosanta_

_I could do with your help. I am in my room._

_Whesiva_

"I guess someone else who needs some help with the sensors. I am getting all sort of weird questions lately since they are going into the next round of development amplifiers."

"I guess most of them are basic?"

"Most are. Since I have been called I could do with leaving. I will talk later." Seliha nods and Fosanta leaves her to finish her lunch in peace.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam walks into their room to see Amistathya on the bed with her head down. He was in two minds whether to disturb her or not. "I do apologise Sam." Sam smiles at the fact she knows he is there.

"No need. I came to see if you wanted anything and to see how you are feeling." She rubs her eyes a little before looking to Sam standing in the doorway.

"The headache has mostly gone but my mind just feels really slow and unclear." She carefully gets up from the bed. "I would quite like a drink if you do not mind but I am ok for food at the moment."

"Are you sure this is not something I should worry about?"

"I am sure Sam. This has happened for as long as I can remember. First I get a headache, and then I feel a little unwell, then excessive tiredness before getting back to normal. It usually lasts two days overall." Sam puts his arm around Amistathya's shoulder as they walk down the stairs.

"How often does this happen?"

"It is usually only about three times a year. I do seem to have got all three symptoms at once this time however which is not usual."

"You are in a slightly different position now so that may have caused the change. Just do what you feel is right and we will see how tomorrow is." She nods before Sam begins to make the two of them a drink, Amistathya putting her head down on the table to rest it.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate finds Whesiva's door open and so walks in. "You wished to see me?"

"I did. Could you lock the door?" Fosanta does so. "I am not sure how much you know so I will keep the details low. It seems your sensors cannot cope with the Terasol design Fosanta but the test data is a mess to be fair."

"Is it the sensors or the individual Whesiva? I know the sensors can cope with heavy transients and they are still fairly basic sensors at the moment."

"I am not at all sure Fosanta as I am very limited with what I can do. I am not sure this individual has the right kind of biotics as the portable sensors are really not that accurate and I cannot use the equipment in the test rooms other than for data collection on the bioamp."

"So you have to keep the individual anonymous?"

"Yes which makes all of this very, very annoying. Usarta said she had a lot on at the moment and that she will talk to me about this on Monday when I saw her earlier."

"I think you should just file the test data away for now and concentrate on the two other designs Whesiva. It is not worth thinking about until Monday as it is not like there is much to do now."

"Good point. I will look at the test data from last weekend to see what can be done next time. Thank you for coming."

"No problem." Fosanta leaves the room with Whesiva looking a little less stressed.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam is sat on the seating when Kate and Fosanta walk in through the door. "Morning."

"It has not been morning for hours now Sam. I guess Athya is still not feeling too well?"

"Unfortunately. I would like to be there with her Kate but I can only watch someone sleep for so long. Anyway how have your days been?"

"Mine has been fairly usual Sam."

"I had an interesting interview this morning. I guess you remember trying to fix one of the thrusters on the Enlighten?"

"Yes, first day on-board if I remember right. It was after my talk to Adastra and Karina being knocked out by Shiala."

"I remember that as well Sam as we were all rather scared that Adastra was going to do something to you. It sounds silly saying that now but we had no real idea what was happening at the time.

"I was unnerved a little but I trusted Adastra when she said that I was safe."

"Anyway that thruster is now, after a short repair, in someone's private transport flying around somewhere."

"You had an interview with a Sentix employee?" Kate nods. "At least we know there is still a bit of the Enlighten out there as I guess they are to scrap the rest?"

"It sounded that way."

"Did you ask about the event Kate or can you not ask those kind of questions?"

"I can but I did not really ask. She did however say they have some images on their extranet site of the hanger so I can get some idea of the size."

"Unless it has something for scale then I doubt it will be too helpful but you can always have a look. You do feel absolutely tiny and I am sure I have underestimated the amount of people but it is a good number to start from."

"You mean we should decide what we are to do before we make better estimates?"

"Yes Fosanta." Adastra and Seliha walk in. "Hello you two."

"Hello Sam. The design for the twenty metre thruster is going to be something silly."

"I will certainly have a good look at them before the event starts Adastra and you can explain everything to me."

"It is a pity you will not see them earlier but still. Where is Athya?"

"Sleeping Adastra. I was tempted to go to eternity but it would not feel right."

"I guess you have had no messages?"

"No Seliha. I had one last night saying Usarta was hopeful to get it done in the ten days but that was it. I just wish I could speed it up but maybe I am just impatient given Ami is not feeling great and I have little to do."

"I would likely feel the same Sam." He nods to Kate. "We should get something to eat."

"I will go and see if Ami wants anything as she did not have any lunch." Sam gets up and goes upstairs as the other four go to the kitchen. Sam walks in and carefully lies down on the bed.

"I appreciate you being here but you do not need to be." Amistathya speaking with her eyes closed.

"I came to ask if you wanted a drink or anything to eat."

"Not at the moment I just wish to sleep."

"I will leave you. I am sure you can find me if you need something."

"Thank you Sam." Sam carefully strokes her folds getting a small smile before leaving to go downstairs to the kitchen.

"Ami does not want anything at the moment."

"Is she ok?"

"She just seems very tired. She has said this is common for her and it usually lasts about two days."

"Is it a medical thing Sam?"

"I am not sure Fosanta but I just hope that she feels better soon." She nods and goes back to making food. Sam getting the plates out of the cupboard to help with the effort.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam sits outside watching the fish under the setting evening sun. "Are you ok?" He turns around to see Selayla.

"I am ok. I just have very little I can do at the moment and my mind is wondering. I am however confused as to why you have come to ask me Selayla?"

"Hymara and Lianta are still eating so I offered to ask. Is this about Armali and you having to move out?"

"No but I would feel better if I knew progress was being made as it would give me a distraction as Ami has slept most of the day today. She does not feel too well."

"That would be why we were most concerned as you two tend to stay fairly close to each other."

"I just want to let her sleep, to let her get better but when I have little else to do it weighs on my mind." Sam gets a message and he opens his Omni-tool.

_Sam,_

_I think things should start happening next week as there is a lot of work being done now to make it happen._

_Usarta_

"I wish I would stop getting updates saying things are happening but there is no news."

"It is some news Sam but I think it is Amistathya you are most worried about though."

"She does not inspire confidence when she has so many pre-existing problems. I will feel happier when I can get into bed but I would never be able to sleep this early."

"You need to find something to do to take your mind off everything for a while Sam."

"I thought the fish may offer ideas." Selayla laughs a little. "What? I am sitting on a planet probably hundreds if not thousands of light years from my home world, talking a language I did not know six weeks ago to an individual of a blue skinned mono-gendered species who has the ability to read my mind. I think talking fish after all of that is hardly an unreasonable stretch." Sam leans back over the fish pond to notice the colours of the fish are not as vibrant in the descending twilight.

"Are you missing your planet a little Sam?"

"I would be lying if I said no Selayla. I do not feel it is that big of a loss just a little inconvenient that I cannot go back to get something if I wanted to for example. I think I miss not having the confidence in knowing what foods I like or what I like to do or where I would like to go to. It is almost like starting from scratch."

"I understand that Sam but you will soon begin to recover that confidence as you go out and interact more in the future."

"I hope so."

"I think you should go and sit with Amistathya Sam. I know it may be boring but you are not doing anything else being out here and I think you would feel happier." Selayla noting that the soft glow from the house windows was becoming more obvious. Sam sighs.

"You have a good point. Thank you Selayla."

"No problem." Sam nods and the two of them make their way back to their respective houses. Sam walks in the front door and up the stairs to his room. He opens the door to see Amistathya looking towards him. He shuts the door and goes to lie down next to her.

"I guess you are here to ask me if I need anything?"

"Not really Ami. I had a bit of a think by the fish pond and Selayla came out for a talk."

"She wondered why I was not with you?"

"Yes but she seemed more bothered about me sitting by the fish pond. I thought it was something to do while I let you sleep. After it had gone dark she suggested I see if you would like a talk for a little while instead of sitting around doing nothing."

"I can do Sam but just be aware I feel quite slow so if you ask questions."

"Expect short answers I understand that Ami. I also know you usually like us to talk in English but I will stick with Asari to help you." She nods with a slight smile. "I received a message from Usarta while I was outside saying that things may start happening next week."

"That is a bit of good news."

"Perhaps but I think am getting a little impatient as today has felt quite a bit longer than a day. I guess holding out hope that tomorrow will be better is a bit of a stretch."

"Remember what Sha'ira said Sam."

"It is quite a bit more difficult to be positive with me having a little worry at the back of my mind that you are not feeling too well Ami. I can always get another job or another house but there would be no chance of getting another individual like you and that worries me." Amistathya shuffles across the bed and puts an arm around Sam.

"I have said I am fine but I really do appreciate it cannot be easy."

"Do you think you will be any better tomorrow Ami?"

"I do not know Sam."

"Would you like a drink as I need one?"

"Do you mind if I had it up here? I feel a little ill when I walk around."

"I will bring it up." Amistathya gives Sam a short kiss. "I hope I do not catch something now." The two of them smile and Sam heads downstairs to make drinks.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam is just finishing in the kitchen when Fosanta and Kate appear. "I see what you meant when you feel tiny in the hanger Sam."

"Did they have a size reference in the picture?"

"A person Sam and it took an awful lot of zooming to see them. I can appreciate how a hundred thousand or more could fit in that space."

"You will still be surprised when you see the scale for yourself as it is ridiculous."

"I will look forward to that. How is Amistathya now Sam?"

"I am just about to take a drink up for her Fosanta and then I was tempted to get an early night. Oh and if I get the flu in the next few days you know what has happened."

"Maybe you gave it to Athya Sam?"

"I hope not Kate but it could be possible. I will hopefully see you both in the morning before you go to work."

"Sleep well." Sam nods as he leaves the kitchen with two mugs.

"It is really not going Sam's way lately."

"True Kate. I think a drink, and then a shower and bed would be a good idea given it will be a busy day tomorrow for me."

"I only have one appointment. I do however have mountains of forms to fill which while easy are very tedious." Fosanta nods.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Seliha and Adastra come down from the top room to go to bed. Adastra goes to the toilet and notices Sam's door open. She quietly opens it a little and peers in to see Sam and Amistathya asleep in each others arms, the duvet hanging off the side of the bed. Adastra gestures Seliha to look which she does before quietly closing the door. "If that was anyone else I would have taken a photo. I would hate someone doing the same with me though, especially when I have been to such efforts in the past to make everyone forget."

"I could do it for you if you not wish to?"

"No Seliha. They are entitled to a little privacy and I think Sam has had a difficult few days. We do not need to make it any worse for them." Seliha nods. The two of them finish in the bathroom before going to bed.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**A quick note on Seliha. She is a little difficult to pin down for the moment but seems to have mostly settled into an apathetic middle ground. She will be a little like this for a few chapters.**

**Due to be me being at the i46 LAN party next weekend I will post the next chapter on Wednesday the 22nd. I will decide then whether to post one on Tuesday the 28th or not as there would be a week and a half between chapters if I do not.**

**As per usual reviews are appreciated and thank you for reading.**


	43. Chapter 43 : Unplanned Activity

**Chapter 43 - Unplanned Activity**

* * *

><p><strong>Friday 10th February 2017<strong>

Sam opens his eyes to see two grey ones looking back. He can do nothing but laugh a little. "That would be a remarkably scary way to wake up if I did not know it was you."

"I am scary?"

"Anyone can be scary if the situation is right. Anyway are you feeling better today?"

"If I have an early night and a fairly quiet day I think I will be ok."

"I am pleased to hear that." Sam hears a rumble. "It sounds like someone wants breakfast which is not unexpected given you have not had something for a while." The two of them get up out of bed.

"I never said anything Sam." He laughs as he checks his Omni-tool for any messages to find none.

"I did hear something though. I don't even know why I bother checking to see if I have had amy messages." Sam quickly gets dressed. Amistathya does not take too much longer and the pair head down to the kitchen for breakfast. They walk in to find the room empty. "I thought they might have left."

"It is a little late Sam." He nods before getting a message.

"Why could it not have arrived for when I checked barely ten minutes ago?"

_Sam,_

_I understand you do not know me but could we meet somewhere this morning. I have been told nothing more than to meet you and give you a datapad._

_Silana_

"Holy crap. I am getting random messages from people I don't know to meet up now."

"It was inevitable eventually Sam. Are you going to?"

"It is a bit suspicious but we will have Hymara, Lianta and a couple of others with us. What do you think?" Sam shows Amistathya the message.

"It seems like she is more interested in getting some information to us. It could be helpful."

"Are you ok for a morning trip to Eternity Ami?"

"I think I can manage that." Sam nods and sends a message back as the two of them finish off their breakfast.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Morning Imphaya, could we have the annoying two and two others for a trip to Nos Astra?"

"I will get them for you." Sam nods and the two of them go to stand by the fish pond.

"You seem to like those fish lately Sam."

"They float along sort of like what I feel like I am doing at the moment Lianta."

"How are you this morning Amistathya?"

"Still not quite normal but not too bad Lianta."

"It is good to see you Kalawa and Swathana." The two of them nod.

"Why are we going to Nos Astra Sam?"

"Someone wants to meet to give me some information or something, just be a little cautious." Hymara nods but does not seem too pleased. The six of them get into the shuttle and travel to Nos Astra.

"So you have no idea who you are meeting?"

"I guess an Asari and Silana is her name. I know quite literally nothing else. I decided to say Eternity as it should be fairly quiet at this time of the day for a bit of privacy but it being in a public space."

"I probably would have suggested at one of the spaceport docks or the trade floor myself."

"I am sure four of you can keep an eye on one person in a relatively quiet room Kalawa."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The six of them walk through the bustling trade floor, surprisingly getting very little attention from anyone as they all go about their business. "You have to be kidding me. Is it only when we are alone that the media are waiting for us?" Sam asking rhetorically as Hymara looks around. "I know to keep my mouth shut."

"You are learning Sam." They move through the four reporters, Sam just smiling instead of saying something back to the comments. They walk into eternity to find the place practically empty, just three Asari at a smaller table. Sam makes his way to his now favourite table and sits down at the back. He gestures Ami to take a seat on his knee and she does so.

"Morning babe, day off work?"

"I get a day a week to do what I wish Athyta. I am supposedly meant to be meeting someone here in a few minutes."

"Can I get you anything while you wait?"

"Something non-alcoholic for myself and Ami, not too bothered what. It is too early to start drinking."

"It is never too early for honey mead Sam." The other three agree with Swathana.

"I have four alcoholics for protection, that inspires confidence." Sam hears Athyta laugh a little as his Omni-tool beeps.

_Sam,_

_I have a rather unique option for you to look at. I will meet you at your house at one._

_Usarta_

"Oh, Usarta wishes to meet me this afternoon. It seems you can never get away." Athyta passing their drinks out.

"Did she say what it was about?"

"No Lianta. It could be anything." A nervous looking Asari walks in through the door. "If that is not her I will get drunk before mid-day." She walks over but seems overly scared of the commandos.

"Hello Sam. I do apologise for asking to meet."

"I was very tempted not to as it was a little suspicious. Could I ask why you were so desperate to give me something?" Sam thinking how scary he must look with four commandos and a pleasant looking Asari on his knee.

"I was asked to give you this datapad to read." She holds it out to Sam who takes it and reads it.

_As you may or may not be aware, Armali have been looking for alternate employment opportunities for you. We along with several other companies were initially very interested until we were told you had a request for your servant to also be offered a job. Armali willingly gave us all the documentation we would need and we requested Armali to get back to us if no one else was interested. They quickly did so and so we began to work out something which would be favourable to both of us. We are proposing to offer you a job as a propulsive engineer, responsible for fitting and repairing Armali's propulsion products. The individual in front of you is currently responsible for that role and you would become the lead of the team of three. Discussions are still ongoing but we have a few things we need resolving._

_Your servant obviously cannot be owned by us at the same time. This makes it very difficult for us to keep an eye on her. We will discuss a couple of things next week, however we need to know we can trust you to keep an eye on and deal with servants in a way which keeps us happy. We saw that you took a short contract last weekend so we thought you may consider taking responsibility for the individual in front of you until we meet. It would allow us to have a better idea as to what you are like. You are free to refuse and we will try to work out a different way. I will contact you if you turn the individual away. If you agree, ask her for the other pad and sign it._

_Olissa_

"Interesting. Silana would you care to take a seat?" She tentatively does so between Swathana and Kalawa, keeping her arms close to her side to make herself as small as possible. Sam turns off the datapad and places it on the table before having some of his drink. "Oh, tastes a little minty." Sam gets a nod as everyone else looks confused. "I will not bother explaining. I guess you know nothing about what was written on the pad then Silana?"

"No and it makes me a little worried."

"Do not worry." Sam decides swapping to English would be his best option at the moment. "Do you think it is a good idea? Actually I know you will say yes but I really want you to be serious about this." Sam looking up at Amistathya.

"She cannot be worse than I can be. Also it is not like you have anything else to do at the moment." Sam nods.

"Silana, I believe you have another pad." She takes a smaller pad from her pocket and hands it to Sam. "I guess you have no idea what this is either." She shakes her head. Sam reads through the pad noting the restrictions which were a little more lenient than Kate's were given the only main limitations are no melding and no physical harm. Sam finishes his drink before signing the pad and turning it off. "I guess I keep this?"

"I am not sure as I know nothing."

"When everyone is ready we are all going to go back to our house. I will sit down and explain everything to you there Silana. It is a bit more private and I hope a bit less intimidating."

"I would appreciate that."

"Can I ask what is happening Sam?"

"Progress Lianta. It is not quite what I expected but I can understand their reservations. I will tell you more this afternoon as it sounds like we will be going out again." She nods.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate finds Adastra eventually and takes a seat. "I was looking for you at the four seat tables."

"I got a message from Seliha saying Fosanta and herself will be having lunch later today and will not be joining us."

"Did she say why?"

"Something to do with something breaking. She was awfully vague unfortunately."

"I was thinking I might get to leave earlier today as I am getting through all the forms rather quickly. That does not seem likely if they are having problems for tomorrow."

"I have plenty to do to keep me busy. I could see if I could get you in testing hall two to see the thruster if you wanted to help pass the time Kate. It might be in a few bits but the scale is still something."

"I could be interested after looking at the size of the hanger last night." Adastra opens her Omni-tool and creates a short message to Sephaila. "I am not sure this is the best person to ask but she should be able to get access. I will give you a message if you can Kate but I must get back to work."

"Have a good afternoon Adastra." She nods and leaves Kate to finish her lunch.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Hymara, Lianta. It will be a quick lunch as Usarta will be coming at one." The two of them nod as Sam, Amistathya and Silana separate to head to their house. "This is going to be very confusing Silana." The three of them walk in and Sam gestures her to the seating. "I really need to ask some questions and do some explaining before anything else happens." Silana takes a seat opposite Sam and Amistathya.

"I cannot answer much Sam."

"Ok, very short description of what is happening. The wonderful individual next to me got me into trouble with Armali because she has supposedly broken a few contracts in her past. Agreements made when I came to the galactic community make Armali responsible for getting me another job and accommodation. I guess it is Sentix Spaceworks who are interested in taking me. I am adamant that the blue one however gets employed with me, which is where the problem I had with Armali re-emerges. Since she is my servant, Sentix wish to see if I can keep suitable control over her."

"I am confused."

"You know who I am, the one next to me is Amistathya, you may call her Athya if you wish. I call her Ami but she would not like others to do so."

"It is good to meet you Athya."

"Same Silana. Just try to follow as best you can as this is very long and confusing." She nods.

"Silana, I first need to know if you have any medical conditions?"

"Not that I know of Sam."

"I guess you are employed at Sentix?"

"I am in a contract with them."

"Ahh, that makes sense. Right Silana. Sentix looked through my records saw that I had Kate as my servant for a few hours last weekend as a joke and wondered if they could do the same. I guess they are going to question you afterwards about how you are treated."

"Wait so I am your servant now Sam?"

"Strictly speaking I have only been given control Silana but from your point of view you can think of it that way. Can I ask how you feel about that?"

"Worried. I did not know Sentix would do that with me."

"I am going to get a bit annoyed at whoever did this when I meet them. Why people cannot be politely asked I do not know. All I am asking Silana is for you to be friendly, do your best and follow one rule. Can you do that?"

"It is a bit of a shock but I will try as long as you are reasonable."

"Silana, Sam is a very reasonable owner. Sam, I can guess the one rule, would you like me to also follow it?"

"Yes Ami. Silana, the one rule is unless you have a need to use your hands then you are to fold them behind you with each palm over the other elbow. Is that ok?" She does so.

"It is a little uncomfortable."

"I have heard you soon get used to it Silana. I have that rule as it is non-intrusive and practical. It does not apply in bed in case you were worred how you will sleep. There are no other rules other than that, you can speak as you wish but I do dislike reluctance, begging or excessive questioning when it is unneeded. I am sure you will quickly work out what to do."

"Why have I been asked to be your servant?"

"You are to spend time with me and Ami to see if we can be trusted. As I said earlier I am sure Sentix will ask you various questions afterwards to see if they wish to consider employing us. I read on the pad that you install thrusters at Sentix."

"I do, it usually takes between two and four days to install a thruster with the wiring and pipe work. I have been getting one of these installs and perhaps a couple of repairs a month. So I do have a lot of free time."

"I would have thought Sentix would have had lots of installs?"

"They do but I do install of Armali products. Thruster manufacturers are very careful to ensure workers installing their products do their best to install their products. People would start paying off servants to install other company's thrusters badly causing them to fail if the separation did not exist."

"That sounds like Illium. Anyway I should have someone coming shortly to let us view I am guessing an apartment. While we wait would you like a drink?"

"I do not get why you are offering me?"

"Silana, I am reasonable and treat people well if they do well. Would you like a drink?"

"I would if you do not mind." Amistathya nods as Sam gets up to make them.

"Sam scares me Athya. He is quite a well known individual and it is rather unnerving to be his servant."

"Silana, he really does not want to be seen as special and he is certainly not the typical difficult to please kind of owner. Do your best and offer to help him where you can and he is very friendly. Do not however underestimate him as he can really make your life difficult if he wishes."

"Do you have any more advice?"

"No it is that simple Silana. I however have a few things I would like you to know about me." She nods. "I have easily bruised skin so please be a little careful if you have to touch me. I cannot taste anything and I guess you might find out the other thing soon."

"You cannot taste anything?"

"No, some of those chemicals in Illium labs are really bad for you it seems. I do not wish to say anything more however for the moment."

"Ami still keeps secrets even from me so you will probably only slowly get the full picture." Sam putting three drinks down on the table. "What may make you even more confused is we are together as well."

"Interesting." Sam hears a knock on the door and goes to get it.

"Hello Usarta, come in."

"You seem to be staying happy Sam."

"It was very tough yesterday but that was then. Oh Usarta, this is Silana." She nods as she takes a seat. "I would explain now but I am more interested in why you are here."

"I was planning to show you a few places early next week but we have come across one with a bit of a time limitation. It is not quite what we were looking for but it is rather unique."

"What do you mean by not what you were looking for and what kind of time limitation?"

"We were looking at traditional single floor apartments Sam but it is four bedrooms and has two floors. We have until five to give the seller a yes or a no before it goes on the general market."

"I think we best to go and have a look then." Usarta and Sam get up with Amistathya and Silana getting the idea and following them out of the door. "Ami could you wake Hymara and Lianta up and meet us at the shuttle." She nods and goes to the other house.

"You may be thinking why we are considering such an apartment but it is a good find in Nos Astra. If we agree today then the owner is willing to let you, your property and your security in this weekend before the transaction would complete on Monday."

"That means I will probably have to wait until next week as I cannot fly a shuttle. Adastra and Fosanta would not be allowed to go and they also have testing." The three of them getting into Usarta's shuttle to wait for the others to arrive.

"I can fly shuttles Sam."

"So we have a pilot, could I use the shuttle Armali provided to move Usarta?"

"Silana is another servant Sam?"

"You could say that. It should be on record if you wish to verify that."

"I will check that out but if it is true I will ensure you can use it this weekend Sam if you wish to take this apartment." Sam nods as Hymara and Amistathya climb onboard and take a seat as Lianta shuts the shuttle door. Usarta takes off and heads to the apartment.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate is only a few forms from finishing when she gets a message which she reads.

_Kate,_

_I can get you into the control room to view the thruster if you wish. I have heard it is nearly back together so you should be able to see it as it should be. Meet me at floor fourteen in the propulsion building if you do._

_Adastra_

Kate ensures that she leaves the forms at a suitable place before getting up and heading towards the propulsion building.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am surprised to see you again so soon Adastra. Was there something you needed to check?"

"No Sephaila it was just to show Kate as I do not think she understands the scale of what is being done." Kate exits the lift to see the two of them standing at the bottom of the stairs. "That was quick. Kate this is Sephaila." Kate nods.

"It is good to meet you, I hope you understand you cannot access the hall itself but you can see well from the control room. Follow me." She turns and heads up the stairs and along a long corridor to the control room.

"I understand the security Sephaila. I was curious about the size as the scale of this project is an awful lot bigger than I thought from everyone's description."

"What is all of this for?"

"I do not think it is up to us to say yet Sephaila. I would assume rumours would start about the middle of next month."

"I hope you do tell me as I am genuinely interested Kate." Sephaila unlocks the door and gestures the two of them in. "If you look through the window you should get an idea." Kate walks forward to gradually see more and more of the thruster out of the window, her shock growing as she does.

"Erm. Is it big enough?"

"It should give you some idea of scale though. This is not the biggest to be made."

"I really like the blue and red pipes." Adastra and Sephaila laugh. Kate turns around. "I guess you do not?"

"It is not that, I just think it looks silly."

"It does, but at least it does brighten it up a bit Sephaila. I thought I had an idea but I have seriously underestimated again. Sephaila, can you guarantee to keep a secret until it is announced in April?"

"I do not see why not Kate."

"An event is going to happen in Sentix Spaceworks hanger four."

"Oh. I realise now why you need a twenty metre design then."

"Eight of these and two twenty metre designs are what is planned Sephaila." Kate looking out of the window trying to imagine eight of them side by side.

"I was thinking these were going to a trade show or something similar. I wish you luck in pulling this off as I have no idea how you will."

"I appreciate that as I am feeling the same way now." Kate watching the workers adding the new control boards onto the design.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I guess you have come from Sentix Silana?"

"Yes. I do not know anything other than Sam is having to move jobs and I am his servant for a while."

"Do you find this fun Sam?"

"What? Having servants?"

"Yes."

"No, the responsibility kills me Usarta. I also have no real use for a servant let alone two, although Silana being able to fly a shuttle may be very helpful."

"Not quite the answer I was expecting. Anyway the apartment is in the Astys building which was built not long after Nos Astra started to rapidly expand. Originally it was an office building so the security is quite tight but it has in the last couple of decades been stripped and remade into some rather interesting apartments." Usarta flies the shuttle around the back to the docking bays. "You have space for a large passenger transport and two shuttles this size. Between this floor and the apartment there are only three floors." Lianta smiles.

"That news pleases someone back here."

"A good start then." The shuttle lands in a designated bay and the six of them get out and walk down a corridor to a lift which they get into. "The lifts use biometrics to allow direct use to your floor. Visitors must visit security to get clearance to your floor. You will have an electronic pass for the moment to gain access to the floor and the apartment if you wish to take it."

"I guess DNA sensor then?"

"There are a couple of different systems Sam. You would have to practically be dead from serious injury before you would have a problem but you can also always go through security." Sam nods as the doors open. "On this floor there are two apartments on opposing sides of the corridor, you have one. I am sure the neighbours will be practically invisible as they are thick walls and there is a corridor between you."

"It is good to know at least." Usarta opens the door and gestures them inside. The large window to their left with the living area in front the first thing to hit. "The view is rather brilliant."

"I said it was a bit unique Sam." Sam walks to the kitchen diner opposite and slightly to the right under the mezzanine. "It is certainly a large space to entertain or relax in. Can people see in through the window from outside?"

"You can see light but it is highly diffuse so it would be impossible to see shadows or anything from people walking around."

"That is good to know." Sam looks at the room opposite the kitchen, an empty large room. He looks at the two other rooms down the corridor noticing all three are identical. "Are all the rooms identically sized?"

"They are downstairs Sam. The two bedrooms on the right upstairs are the same as those as well." He heads up the stairs that start near the front door and stands on the balcony to look out of the glass wall.

"Have you seen the bathroom Sam?" Amistathya standing in the first doorway on the left over the kitchen. He heads over and looks inside.

"That is a rather large bath and in a wet room with a shower. I can see plenty of fun time in here as there is ample space." Amistathya smiles as Sam heads back out to see Hymara and Lianta looking in the bedroom opposite.

"A king size bed and there is still plenty of space for storage, a desk and space to walk around in." Sam opens his Omni-tool and loads up the dimension utility to work out the room size.

"Seven by five metres. You could split these rooms in half and have six bedrooms and still have space."

"It would loose something though Sam. It has a nice feel as it is large but it does not feel excessive. I personally like what I have seen but it is up to you."

"I get what you mean about it missing something. The bathroom and the other two bedrooms on the other side look about five by four metres but they are still an ample size. I also like the fact it is two floors with a high ceilinged living area and a large window. I was expecting something like a larger version of the room we had on the Citadel. All of this furniture looks new though which surprises me as well." Sam leaves the room and goes back to the balcony to see Usarta and Silana standing in the living area looking out of the window. "Is all this furniture new?" Sam shouting down.

"It has just been refurbished Sam so yes."

"Silana, have you had a look around?"

"No Sam as it is not my decision to make?"

"You sound as bad as Ami. At least have a look around while you are here." She nods and goes for a wander downstairs. Lianta, Hymara and Amistathya join Sam on the balcony. "I must ask if you two are happy to have a room on each floor to yourselves?"

"I think we would be perfectly happy with just a bedroom the size that they are Sam."

"I take that as you thinking there is ample space then Hymara?" She nods.

"There is probably as much raw space in this apartment as there is in the house we have now." Sam pulls out his Omni-tool and does some calculating.

"After all the stairs in the house you are probably not too far off Lianta. Usarta, I guess we must decide now?"

"You can have a couple of hours if you wish Sam." Sam nods.

"Does anyone here have any problem with this apartment?" Sam looks at each of them just getting a smile in response. "Well that seems positive between us." Sam walks down the stairs to see Silana coming out of one of the empty rooms. "What do you think Silana?"

"It has ample space and it looks well designed."

"I think everyone here would like to take this offer Usarta."

"I am glad to hear that news Sam as it means we can stop searching Nos Astra for apartments. I will drop you off at your house and then confirm the sale with the seller. I will give you a message later this evening to confirm you can move in if you wish to this weekend and that I have unlocked your shuttles controls." The six of them exiting the apartment and walking the dozen or so paces to the lift.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Usarta lands the shuttle on the visitors pad at the house and Hymara opens the shuttle door. "I will not join you as I have work to be doing. I hope everything goes smoothly this weekend for you."

"Thank you Usarta. I guess we will be seeing you again sometime."

"Probably Sam." He nods as everyone else exits the shuttle. Sam closes the door and Usarta waits for a few moments before setting off back to Armali. Hymara and Lianta quickly disappear. Sam Amistathya and Silana go back to sitting where they were before.

"I am confused as to what is happening."

"This house was for Enlighten crewmembers but since myself and Kate were picked up on the trip we technically are not. Armali allowed us to live here for our and I guess their convenience, so it was basically tied to our job. I guess you can work out the rest."

"I still feel unsure Sam."

"I think it is just first day nerves. Ami had the same thing so it is nothing to be worried about. I am sure you may get a number of questions thrown at you from the others but they are just curious as to what is happening."

"I think Kate and Fosanta are back." Amistathya seeing their shuttle land through the window. "You will be fine Silana."

"I am sure you will be seeing plenty of Kate tomorrow as the other three are at bioamp testing at Armali." The two of them walk in through the door. "You two are fairly early."

"I finished work early and even got to look at the thruster Adastra was talking about. The size of it was ridiculous."

"I will have to take your word for that but I know it will look like an ornament when it is installed. I must say the one opposite me is Silana. Silana, Kate and Fosanta. I need to say you need to try harder Fosanta."

"Good to meet you Silana. What do you mean by I must try harder Sam?"

"Two servants Fosanta."

"Really Silana?"

"I am a little unaware of everything but yes Kate."

"Anyway from the start, Silana is here to have first hand experience how I interact with Ami to help with getting a job. But bigger news is Armali have found a fairly remarkable apartment. The views are just something else."

"I guess you have seen it then?"

"Just this afternoon Kate. Usarta will message me this evening to say when we can start moving in."

"If it is tomorrow you do know we are bioamp testing."

"Silana can fly my shuttle Fosanta. I have a request however. Can Silana take the spare room for the night?"

"How did you even meet Sam Silana?"

"I sent him a message asking if we could meet which we did in Eternity this morning."

"You agreed to meet some random person Sam?"

"I had four of the commandos with me Kate and since Ami feels a little better today I thought why not." Kate shakes her head and goes to the kitchen for a drink.

"Sam, can I be mean and ask for you to give me a reason?" Amistathya smiles a little.

"I would be disappointed if you could not help me for one night Fosanta. I will have a talk with these two and see if we can think of someting." She nods "Care to have a talk upstairs?" Amistathya gets up and Silana gets the idea shortly after, they all go up to Sam's room and he closes the door. "Silana, I guess you know that Adastra has markings on her body."

"Really?" Sam facepalms.

"Great this is going to be a long evening. Yes Silana. I need to know what your initial feeling towards this is?"

"I am a little intrigued as to what that would look like. It is certainly not a concept I have heard before. Why do you ask Sam?"

"You promise to do exactly as I say?" She nods. "Ami, I know you really dislike it but would you be willing to do so in the bathroom before coming back in here." She nods and leaves to the bathroom. "Silana, I want you to just stay where you are. It is a simple request but there is a reason."

"Can you tell me?" Sam moves to the doorway between the bedroom and the bathroom to see when Ami was ready.

"If you are to be alongside Ami then you should know this. It is natural." Sam steps back into the room and gestures Ami to walk in which she does so.

"Goddess."

"Silana, you have no reason to not have your arms behind you."

"My apologies, Athya's body was a bit of a shock. Athya I cannot say much as it is rather indescribable, however be proud that you look unlike any other Asari."

"Silana, I will let you touch if you are careful." Silana looks to Sam who nods and she touches Amistathya's right arm and runs her fingers down to her hand.

"Even your skin has a slight pattern. Is there anything else?"

"Her tongue has a slight bitter taste. I need to ask you to keep what you are told to yourself Silana as there is an event that we are trying to plan for May. I do not want some of the information getting out yet."

"I understand that."

"Ok, please prepare yourself for a bit more of a shock. The slight pattern on Ami's skin is scarring from where her skin was burnt off with chemicals."

"How bad?"

"Can I?" Amistathya gesturing to the bathroom. Sam nods.

"Silana, it very nearly killed her. Ami really does not want your sympathy, she has moved on. I hope you understand that." She nods looking a little sorry. "Would you be willing to share your body with us?" She looks a little nervous but begins undressing. "Could I ask why you are a little nervous Silana?"

"I am not sure what is going to happen?"

"That is the fun bit. I know what is happening and you do not. I played the same game with Ami, that one was fun as well."

"I do still hate you for doing that Sam." The smile on her face giving away it was a joke. Silana puts her clothes on the bed before folding her arms behind her.

"I must apologise for the large scar down by back Sam. I did that when I slipped and cut it on a sharp metal edge a few years ago."

"You have no need to apologise Silana. I do like the slight turquoise edge to your blue skin."

"Thank you."

"The answer to the next question will determine what happens this evening Silana. If I asked you to touch a wire which had a high voltage warning sign on it would you do so?" Silana seemed to stumble a little. "I will give you some time to work out where you sit on this. Oh and do not try to predict which is the right answer." Sam made sure he gave away nothing.

"I would probably refuse Sam."

"Admirable choice. Do you feel intimidated by me Silana as you do not seem that comfortable?"

"I am a little embarrassed about standing naked in front of you and you are rather well known."

"Would you feel happier if Ami was the individual giving you instruction and not me?"

"I think so. No offence Sam but I do not know your species or what you are like."

"I understand that Silana. I will just say therefore that please do as Ami asks for the rest of the evening. The consequences for not doing so are not worth considering. Am I clear Silana?"

"Yes Sam."

"Ami, if I need your help then I will come to find you but you are free to do as you wish until then." She nods with a smile. "Silana, if Ami says you have acted against her wishes I will hear about it no matter how much you ask her to keep it a secret. I am just letting you know that for your reference not to intimidate you. I hope you both have fun." Sam leaves the bedroom to head back downstairs to see Kate and Fosanta on the seating.

"Where are the other two and what is happening?"

"Upstairs and Silana is a servant from Sentix who has been allocated to me to see how I keep my eye on Ami. They seem keen to offer me a job but not Ami and I want both of us to have one."

"So Olissa made this happen?"

"I guess it was Olissa you met yesterday then?" Kate nods. "Makes sense. Fosanta I do apologise but I am not sure I can offer you anything for the room this evening given I have given Silana to Ami for the evening." Sam gets a message as Adastra and Seliha walk in. "I guess you had a busy day Seliha."

"I have, there was a power problem in the test room we had half setup so we had to move everything to a different room."

"Ahh. I have something to tell you two so if you would happily take a seat for a minute." The two of them do so as Sam reads his message.

_Sam,_

_I have received confirmation and have arranged for some basics to be delivered tomorrow to get you settled. They will be in boxes in the corridor as you arrive. There will be a five seat skycar you can use to get around in at one of the docking spaces you have. I am still working on the passenger transport. Kate can go with you tomorrow if you wish as the owner was rather sympathetic to having her sitting around doing nothing. No one else as I said until Monday however. I have unlocked your shuttles drive systems for you._

_Usarta_

"Where should I start? This morning I had a message from an individual who wished to meet with me so we did so in Eternity. This individual is tied with Sentix Spaceworks who seem keen on taking me on after Armali. They however have reservations about Ami and so sent this individual to keep an eye on us. I therefore have another servant until I am contacted by someone next week."

"How do you do it Sam?"

"I have no idea; it is like you having the consort magnet Adastra. Anyway her name is Silana and has nothing really of note to say about her. Usarta then appeared this afternoon to show us a rather unique apartment which we all fell for when we saw it."

"What do you mean by unique?"

"Unique in that it has some rather nice views Seliha. Since we all liked it then we agreed to take it and the owner is allowing us to move in tomorrow. She wishes it to just be the occupants of the apartment until the sale finalises on Monday."

"Do you have to move in this weekend?"

"No Kate but a weekend would be more convenient to do so. I can always come back here during the daytime to discuss things or go out in an evening with you all. That reminds me I am going to have to keep the contract between Ami and myself a while longer."

"What exactly is happening?"

"Sentix seemed to want to take on Ami as a servant but they cannot do so while I own her. Hence why it is staying for now Adastra. I am still a bit lost as to what is happening myself."

"We best make some food then." The five of them head to the kitchen

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam walks upstairs and into their room to see the two of them talking on the bed. "I just came up to both ask what was happening and that food is nearly ready."

"Athya has just been explaining to me everything Sam."

"Did Ami explain where you went wrong with the question?" She shakes her head. "I can work with that. Silana after you have eaten I would like you to do as Fosanta asks until I need you, she has finished with you or midnight whichever is first. Can you do that?"

"What will she ask me to do?"

"I do not know Silana. All I would like you to do is remain silent throughout as it is better that way. It means you cannot complain and it means Fosanta and no doubt Kate cannot ask you personal questions that require more than a yes or a no answer."

"It is easy Silana, just do exactly as you are asked. It is better if you are not hesitant and you do not show you are a little scared."

"It will mean you will have a bed tonight as well as repaying me for answering the question wrong earlier. Will you do that then Silana?"

"I just do as I am asked and stay quiet?" Sam nods. "I think I can do that."

"We best be going for food." The two of them get off the bed and follow Sam down to the dining room. Silana and Ami take seats either side of Sam. "Fosanta, you asked for some reason to offer the spare room. Silana is yours; no melding, no penetration and she will not speak." Fosanta seemed to gain a large smile.

"I am a bit surprised Sam. Silana, I will not be harsh so I hope you can trust me." Silana nods. Sam got a bit of a smile.

"I guess you two feel left out?"

"We do a little."

"I know this is not the best time but could I have a quick private talk with you Seliha." She gets up, Sam does the same and the two of them go to the seating area. "How would you like Adastra hanging upside down to play with? I know she has expressed an interest."

"I could do that myself."

"It would be a bit difficult to do on your own. Ami and I will help you while we pack stuff up." Seliha's expression seems to warm up a little. "Adastra will need to swap her holder as the straps on that one will not hold her well. I will leave it up to you to get that done but I will help once she is in the basement."

"I can do that, where are the spares?"

"In the basement Seliha, you could do everything down there. A vibrator may be handy."

"I will get one after food." Sam nods and the two of them go back to the dining room.

"The food is a little cooler but it is worth it to keep everything fun. Ami I will be with you but if you could help Seliha this evening I would appreciate it."

"Am I to be worried Sam?"

"I am not sure Adastra as Seliha is difficult for me to understand, no offence intended Seliha." She nods to show that none was taken.

"Sam, when you do want Silana back?"

"Midnight, when you are finished or if I desperately need some more help Fosanta. If you could come up with some way of communicating for toilet breaks I would appreciate that." Fosanta nods before taking her and Kate's plates into the kitchen. "Kate if you are interested, last Saturday." Fosanta walks back in.

"I have a plan for later Fosanta." Fosanta looks a little curious but smiles and nods to Kate.

"Silana, would you like to follow me?" She nods and follows Fosanta and Kate upstairs.

"Ami and I will sort the plates and meet you in a few minutes." Sam and Amistathya leave to the kitchen with plates.

"What is happening Seliha?" Adastra following Seliha to the basement.

"I am sure you will guess when I ask you to swap your bioamp holder."

"I wish I had never made that comment now."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Fosanta and Kate walk into their room with Silana following. "Silana, I only asked Sam for some incentive as a joke. You can have the room next door this evening." Silana smiles.

"I guess you have not had time yet to look around the house?" Silana shakes her head. "We, will show you around before going to the basement as I think Sam may need some help."

"I like that idea Kate. We will start at the top and work down. Would you care to follow Silana." The three of them head to the top of the house to begin a short tour.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam and Amistathya head down the stairs to the basement after washing up to see Adastra in the fabric holder. "I guess you think you know what is to happen Adastra?"

"Upside down Sam?"

"Not a bad guess. I must however ask right now if you have a problem with Silana seeing you? She has already seen Ami and was rather shocked in a good way."

"You know how protective I am Sam."

"Hence why I am asking Adastra. I will find and have a talk to her to get some more details for you. Ami I am sure you can tie Adastra up as Kate was."

"I think I can Sam." She finds the pile of rope in the corner and goes to pick it up as Sam goes upstairs. He finds the four of them walking down the stairs.

"Surprise, I could do with having a talk to Silana if you do not mind."

"Of course not Sam. We were just giving her a tour around; she can have the spare room as I was only joking earlier. I did not expect you to agree really Sam."

"Well played Fosanta. That may not be the best move you have made but we shall see. Anyway Adastra and Seliha are in the basement if you wish to help Ami." The two of them nod and walk past Sam. "Silana could you take a seat." Sam gesturing to the sitting area. "You can speak if you wish to."

"It is a nice house."

"It is a pity I have to leave Silana as they are all good individuals and I have got to know them well. Unfortunately Ami means too much to me." Silana sits down next to Sam. "I just needed to ask something important." Silana nods. "Do you have a bondmate or a partner?"

"Sentix disallow me from having a partner. It means they do not have things like two people having time off at the same time or having time off to look after a child."

"That sounds a bit harsh. I can see their logic but I guess it does not make individuals such as yourself happy."

"I can still have friends but they do not take well to melding."

"Which nearly answers my next question. Adastra has markings on her skin like Ami, however she is extremely defensive about who knows. I mean only the individuals in this house now know what they look like. Not even her parents as she removed their memories. Will you promise not to tell others and if you have to, get in contact with her and explain?"

"It depends how long I have to keep it secret for?"

"I think she may eventually warm to the idea of showing people. Ten years?"

"Oh I was thinking a few hundred. I can do ten years easy as I am contracted at Sentix for another twenty one."

"I personally would like you to treat your knowledge of Ami's markings in the same way if you could. Many more individuals have seen those though but I think she will be happier if you did."

"I can do that Sam."

"Ok follow me." The two of them go to the basement with Sam holding his hand out to keep Silana at the top of the stairs. "I see you are hanging well."

"I am starting to regret saying it would be fun now Sam."

"I have had a talk to Silana and she is in no position to spread your markings as Sentix will not allow her to have a partner let alone meld."

"I suppose there is quite a bit covered by this holder, ok Sam." Sam gestures her down the stairs.

"When you said markings earlier Sam this was what I thought. Not what Athya has. Adastra, they really make your body remarkably interesting and wonderful. Quite why you are so reluctant to show people I do not understand."

"It is a long story, but I have not had the best experience with individuals seeing them. I however appreciate the compliments."

"That makes a bit more sense."

"Are you to do the same as you did with me?" Kate asking Amistathya who nods. She then digs out the pallet wrap and waves it to Seliha who gets a bit of a devious smile.

"I see this is progressing well. I will just quietly disconnect my computer and pack the desk and chairs up into a box or something. Silana could you help me?" She nods and the two of them begin packing things away.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Seliha would like your help Sam."

"I guess it is for getting Adastra down?" Amistathya nods and Sam gestures Silana to come along. The three of them go to the basement. "Oh, no Fosanta and Kate?"

"They felt it was wrong of me to continue after Adastra wished to stop. I think Adastra has had enough though as it is bioamp testing tomorrow."

"I think more than enough Seliha. Adastra how are you feeling?" Sam looking at the tired Asari just swaying slightly.

"I am exhausted."

"You look it as well. Let us get you down." Adastra nods and the four of them untie the ropes and gently lower her onto the floor. "Before I leave for the night, as I have a busy day tomorrow. I must ask both will you be ok for tomorrow and did you enjoy it?"

"Tomorrow, I do not know but yes Sam."

"You really need sleep Adastra, get something to eat and drink before going to bed. Seliha I know she is your bondmate but could you allow her a good nights sleep before tomorrow?"

"I think she has earnt it."

"Night you two." The pair of them nod, Adastra looking particularly weak but at least she was not coated in urine. Sam gestures Amistathya and Silana to follow him.

"I thought you did brilliantly Adastra. I will help you to the kitchen and then bed." Adastra nods as she manages to stand even though she was a little wobbly before leaning on Seliha for support.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam, Amistathya and Silana meet Kate and Fosanta coming down from the top room. "I guess Seliha has finally let Adastra down?"

"Yes, she does look in a better state than Kate did but I am conscious she has a hard day tomorrow. I think Seliha may have forgotten that in her enthusiasm." Sam holds his hand up to stop the next comment from Fosanta. "I have to point out that it was a punishment for Kate and not for fun, hence why I went further."

"Could I ask if you like being an owner Sam?"

"Usarta asked me the same question this morning. The short answer is no Fosanta hence why I am trying to build an agreement with Ami to get rid of it."

"Could I ask why you became my owner then Sam?" Sam looks to his left.

"I was not exactly given much choice by Sentix Silana. Actually I forgot to mention that Sentix are contemplating taking me on to lead a team of three Armali propulsion engineers. Now since Ami is to be with me that would make you Silana the third. I guess getting to know each other better is a good side benefit as well."

"Could I read the datapad myself?" Sam nods and goes into his room for a few seconds before bringing the pad and handing it to her. "I appreciate this."

"I best be getting an early night Sam as it is yet another day of work tomorrow."

"Have a good sleep you two." Kate and Fosanta nod as they go into their room, the door panel turning red. "Do you have anything to ask Silana?"

"No Sam. Why they kept this from me I do not know. I will be greatly relieved if this plan is true as it would mean I do not answer to Liphanya."

"Is she really that bad?"

"I will only say she is difficult to please and quite hard on us."

"It sounds like we will get on brilliantly well then Silana." She looks a little confused as Amistathya laughs a little. "It was a joke Silana. You should be getting an idea by now that I treat people well. Anyway Ami wants an early night as she was not too well yesterday so I will talk again in the morning."

"I hope you are feeling better Athya. Have a good night you two." Amistathya nods.

"I hope you sleep well as well Silana." She hands Sam his datapad before nodding and going into her room. Sam and Amistathya go into theirs. "I am going to have to start providing Silana some help with folding her arms tomorrow I think."

"I saw that as well. You could just tie them behind her." Amistathya quickly getting undressed and getting into bed.

"Ami, I will tell Silana I am keeping a close eye on her tomorrow. I would like you to count the amount of times she makes a moderate slipup." Sam joining Amistathya in bed.

"I can do that."

"Good. Sleep well Ami." Sam gives her a hug.

"You too."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra had gained some energy back after having a sit down in the kitchen for a snack and a drink. She did not really need to lean on Seliha to steady herself as the two of them went to bed. "Did you enjoy this evening?"

"Can I say in the morning as sleep sounds very inviting at the moment?" Seliha nods as she helps Adastra into bed.

"I hope you did have fun, have a pleasant nights sleep."

"I will, you do as well." Seliha gets into the bed and turns the light off, Adastra not taking long to drop to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**Due to time constraints I have been unable to add quite as much to this chapter I was hoping. I know it is later than I stated and for that I apologise.**

**Reviews are most welcome.**

**Next chapter will be a week on Wednesday (29th August), apologies for the slight slip.**


	44. Chapter 44 : Moving

**Chapter 44 - Moving**

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday 11th February 2017<strong>

Kate and Fosanta walk into the kitchen to find three individuals having breakfast. "Morning you three. How are you this morning Adastra?"

"I am wondering if it was a good idea the night before bioamp testing. I am sure I will be ok however. How are you two?" Kate nods to Fosanta as she gets breakfast for both of them.

"I think we are both well. I am surprised to see you around so early Silana?"

"I felt awake when I woke up so I decided to see what was around for breakfast. I hope you do not mind that I have helped myself."

"It is fine Silana." She nods as the five of them settle down to join her.

"Good morning everyone. I have something to tell you once Fosanta, Adastra and Seliha have left Silana." She nods.

"Is it something we cannot hear Sam?" Adastra finding the secrecy interesting.

"No, I just thought Silana may appreciate not being under scrutiny from everyone. You do look a little more alive this morning though."

"I am but I still feel a little stiff." Sam nods. Seliha looks at her Omni-tool.

"We will have to be leaving in a couple of minutes."

"I will try to be back here when you get back but there will be a lot to sort out at the apartment. I guess there may have to be a trip to Nos Astra to get a few things as well."

"I think we all understand that Sam. We would however like to see you this evening some time."

"I will be around Fosanta." Fosanta shares a short hug with Kate.

"I hope you do not get too bored."

"I will be fine Fosanta." She nods.

"I hope the move goes well."

"Thank you Adastra. I will see you all this evening." The three of them nod and walk out. "Silana since they are gone I would like to inform you that Ami will be keeping an eye on you for breaking the rule. I noticed you were a bit sloppy yesterday on it."

"I really do apologise Sam. It is a bit new for me."

"I was just letting you know Ami is keeping an eye on you Silana. Kate I could not tell the others but Usarta managed to convince the owner to let you come with us for today if you wish."

"I would like that as I would be bored here by myself."

"I do not think this will take too long as we should be able to get everything in one shuttle. I think Hymara and Lianta will have a few questions but it should be ok. Ami did you say you were getting some things today?"

"I had forgotten about that Sam. Yes, this morning some time."

"Ok if is has not arrived by the time the shuttle has been loaded then myself and Silana will go to the apartment to unload. We will come back here to collect yourself and Kate before returning to sort out all the things in the apartment."

"Could you not wait until it arrives Sam?"

"I am just keen to get there Kate. Clear up after breakfast and then say hello Lianta and Hymara. I think those are the first things to do before anything else happens."

"I could get them for you if you wish Sam?"

"If you want to offer Ami. I would like you to go with her Silana. Please ask them if they would like some help." The two of them nod and leave. Sam waits until the door shuts and looks over to Kate who seems a little anxious. "I get the feeling you are desperate to ask me something Kate."

"I am just a little on edge from what happened this time last week Sam."

"Kate, I have no hidden contracts and whatever you wish to help with then it will be appreciated. I had a message from Usarta saying there will be a number of basics in the corridor when we arrive. What and how many, I have no idea what so ever. Helping us to unpack and put the things away would be very helpful."

"What is the apartment like Sam?"

"Well I am not going to say much but four bedrooms does not do the size justice. If you could just wait a while I am sure it will not be long before you see it." She nods as she hands the last of the dishes to Sam to put away in the cupboard. "Are you ok to help me take some things from the basement?"

"Yes as I would rather be doing something than sitting around being bored." Sam smiles and the two of them go to the basement.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Hymara, Lianta, Silana and Amistathya are each carrying a box towards Sam's shuttle as a shuttle comes in to land on the visitors pad. "I guess this is your things Athya."

"It looks like it Silana. I wonder what comment I will get." Amistathya places the box into the shuttle before walking around to see a purple skinned Asari unloading the boxes. She looks up and notices Amistathya.

"Good Morning. I believe these three boxes are for you?" She moves closer to look at the shipping label.

"They are." The Asari leans into the shuttle and picks up a datapad.

"Could you sign for them Amistathya?" She nods sighing a little at her mispronunciation. "Could I ask what Sam is like?"

"I do apologise but asking his servant is not a good way to get an impartial answer. I do however get treated like a good friend."

"I heard those rumours after you went to Eternity yesterday." Sam appears from around the front of the shuttle.

"Morning. Any more rumours I should be aware of?"

"I, I do not think so."

"I hate being seen as some special individual who is unapproachable so I will let you ask one question, anything you wish." The Asari seems to go a little shy at this unexpected opportunity. "There is no need to be nervous."

"You would just be the first really well known individual I have met. Could you do something special for me Sam?" Amistathya almost sighs at the predictability. Sam laughs a little.

"Do you have a bondmate?" She shakes her head with a smile. "It makes no difference really before you get ideas. I was just thinking about the practicalities of my idea. How would you like a backstage tour at an event?" Amistathya smiles at Sam.

"Really?" Sam nods. "What kind of event and where?"

"No idea what kind of event yet, it will be a large very ambitious event here on Illium. If I say anything more you need to keep this a secret. Also if more than one individual turns up then I will show no one. Can you do that?"

"Yes?"

"If you could tell me your name I can ensure it all goes smoothly.

"Enisa."

"Good to meet you Enisa. If you go to Sentix Spaceworks reception for nine on the fifth of May and inform the receptionist of your arrival I will meet you shortly after. I need to tell you now that this will be before the event but there might be some famous individuals there but I cannot promise there will be. I hope that is special enough and I look forward to meeting you then."

"I do not think I can thank you enough Sam."

"It really is no problem at all Enisa. I would appreciate you being there at the event as well. I guess you should find out everything about it in April so just keep a look out for more information."

"I will. I greatly appreciate this opportunity and I will be there Sam." Sam nods and Enisa jumps back in her shuttle in a spritely fashion. Sam and Amistathya vacate the pad and Enisa takes off.

"Guess from your looks you do not approve?" Sam getting looks from the four individuals waiting next to his shuttle. "Oh Hymara before you say anything she was not media."

"No but it will still likely get to them."

"I still cannot really believe you offered someone a tour of the event before it is really planned Sam."

"I accept I am seen as someone special but while this may sound hypocritical I do not want to be treated differently. Silana looked rather timid yesterday when she approached us in Eternity and while I fully understand her nervousness at the time it is something that annoys me as I am just another individual."

"I agree with you to an extent actually. It does not annoy me but I do not think I will be doing any personal interviews with media. How did you initially perceive Sam when you met him yesterday Silana?"

"I would rather have been asked to make a meeting with the councillor Kate as you were both total unknowns to me at the time. I unfortunately have to do as I am asked so I just had to get over the anxiety and get on with the task. When I eventually walked in to Eternity after waiting outside a couple of minutes, the fact that you were with four commandos and had Athya on your knee was actually remarkably intimidating Sam."

"I thought that four commandos was fairly reasonable considering I had received a message from someone I did not know. Also Ami likes the attention. Speaking of which we should continue loading the shuttle otherwise it will be lunchtime."

"I appreciate your point of view Silana as it is nice to see from the other perspective sometimes." She nods to Kate as they begin to pack everything in.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am glad that is over. If you want to do that again though Seliha can you not do it the night before testing as I feel not too great now."

"I doubt you got the most unpleasant test engineer. I will however try not to Adastra."

"I had a much better one this week who was polite. Unfortunately that does not help make the testing any easier. I believe we have a few hours break now though since we are in so early."

"We could get something to drink in the Skylounge."

"I could also see about getting you to see the thruster on Monday. It is annoying Sephaila will not be in today otherwise we could have had a look while we were here and have spare time."

"I do not think many individuals work Saturdays at Armali. It will have to be Monday morning for the visit as the biotics department have the meeting in the afternoon."

"I cannot see Monday morning being a problem Seliha." The two of them get into a lift to go to the skybridge.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The six of them were each carrying the last of the boxes from the house to the shuttle. "I did not think I had gathered quite so much stuff?"

"You are hoarding Sam." Kate obviously joking by the smile on her face.

"I think Ami has more boxes in this shuttle than I do although the jet engine takes up a bit of space."

"What is that Sam?"

"Oh I forgot Kate is the only one who really knows, sorry about that Hymara. I would need to run it at Sentix if I get the job as it really needs somewhere that is not flammable. I will show you all at some time once we have settled a bit." Sam sees a few nods as they load the last of the boxes onto the shuttle. "Well given there is not much space in here I think it could be an idea to go with this and come back for anything we have forgotten."

"That sounds like a good idea." Sam nods to Lianta as they all climb on-board and Silana goes to sit in the pilot's seat.

"Where are we going to Sam?"

"Astys building, second parking floor from the top. The three bays for the apartment are on the left as we approach."

"Thank you Sam." Silana carefully pilots the shuttle from the house to the apartment, given the loose load inside, so that nothing gets damaged.

"What did you get this morning Athya given the three large boxes?"

"I am sure you could have a good guess Kate."

"Actually that reminds me. Ami I will remind you now that the third rule is valid from when you walk in. The second from when we next return to the apartment today as I know we will need to go back to the house at least with Kate. Is that ok?"

"Of course Sam."

"Sam, this sounds like you are going backwards."

"Ami is free to ask for the rules to be removed at any time Kate. She was also free to say no when we originally agreed. I have made this clear a number of times recently but she wants this and is therefore accepting. I would rather have it like this than have her be difficult and then having to punish her as that makes us both unhappy. Lianta, Hymara, as with the name shortening, I only suggested the idea to Ami, she is the one who is agreeing and complying with all of this. I hope you do not see it as me forcing her to do anything even though I could."

"I am a little happier about you and Amistathya Sam as neither of you seem unhappy with the arrangements. I may make some comments but take them as curiosity."

"I will be more than happy to answer your questions if I can Lianta. I am however glad that we are not starting by you suggesting you might knock me out."

"I could suggest it if you want Sam?"

"I know I am a pain Hymara and I do try to help you, but sometimes it is a bit excessive not talking to anyone. I know you were joking." Hymara gives Sam a serious face. Sam laughs a little.

"I still do not know why you dislike being an owner and yet you seem happy Sam?"

"Ami almost looks after herself Kate which makes my job very easy on the whole. Also I am going to the apartment which I am rather exited about."

"Actually Sam. We are just approaching the building now." Silana announces as she breaks off from the traffic flow and curves the shuttle around the building to the parking building at the rear. She places the shuttle down on the spare pad. "Is someone here Sam as there is a skycar parked on the other pad?"

"No that is our around Illium transport as Armali will be taking this shuttle back given the branding on the side. I guess Usarta will sort something out about collecting it." They all get out of the shuttle. "If we all take a box then it will mean one less trip."

"Do you have the pass Sam?" He pulls a small credit card sized pad from his pocket which makes Hymara happier.

"Kate just follow everyone else. It is only three floors up in the lift." She nods and the six of them take a box from the shuttle before Lianta shuts the door and they all make their way to the lift. It was a bit of a squeeze with the six of them and the boxes. "I am just waiting to see how many boxes there will be waiting for us."

"There will be boxes waiting for us?"

"Yes Lianta. Thank Armali Illium for that." the lift doors open and everyone grabs a box and walks out onto the corridor to see twenty boxes lined up by the wall. "Although what there is I have no idea."

"Does the apartment not have beds or something Sam?"

"It has sofas, beds, wardrobes, cupboards, drawers and desks in the bedrooms. I guess most of this is items such as food, plates, mugs and possibly a video screen for the living area." Kate nods as Sam opens the apartment door and walks in putting his box on the floor to the left inside the doorway. Kate follows Hymara into the apartment noticing the large window first.

"Wow, you said it had a view Sam and it really does. Are you not worried about people being able to look in though?"

"Usarta said the light from inside was diffused Kate so I am not too worried but curiosity will prevail and I will check it myself. I guess you have not noticed the interesting bit of the apartment yet though?" Kate turns around from facing the window.

"Oh, two floors. Interesting."

"I like the little balcony area with the industrial brushed steel banister. It sort of feels like a converted warehouse where aesthetics came second to practicality."

"I agree with that but it does look good Sam."

"We thought the same Kate given it was a unanimous agreement. I think we should get all the boxes in here and start putting things away as I can see it taking a while." Sam gets a few nods and goes back out to the corridor. He eyes up the nearest box and tries to lift it. "What have they put in these boxes, lead?" Sam stands to one side and Hymara has a go at lifting it manually.

"It seems you might have to find the light ones Sam." Hymara gives up and uses her biotics to move it instead. Sam spots a small box out of the corner of his eye which he picks up with one hand before looking at the label.

"You seem popular Ami. One for you, open it later not now." She nods as Sam passes her it. Hymara, Lianta and Silana move the heavy boxes inside quite quickly with Sam, Kate and Amistathya taking the lighter ones. "Actually before we go any further I think we should see what we have and think about dinner."

"I agree with that Sam or at least a drink. I am also curious; can you not use biotics Amistathya as you only seemed to pick up the lighter boxes?"

"I can Lianta but I cannot biotically lift much more than I can manually so it is not worth it." Lianta nods as she gets out a knife and begins opening the boxes with Hymara. "Oh, there is a datapad in this one." Lianta handing it to Sam.

_Sam,_

_While the apartment has all the basic furniture inside it was bare which would make moving in difficult. We hope you find these extras allow you to settle in with no real hassle. I would however be careful with some of these boxes as they are heavy._

_Armali Council, Illium_

"Well thank you for telling us they are heavy after we have moved them." Sam got a few laughs. "I am a bit surprised it is not signed Usarta but Armali Council, Illium." Sam looks in the heavy box to see plates, dishes, cutlery, glasses and mugs; the ceramics being plain white. "Plates and stuff for the kitchen in that."

"Duvets and bed sheets in these four." Hymara pointing to the four identically sized lighter boxes. Sam stacks one on top of another and lifts the two of them together and walks upstairs with them. Amistathya takes the remaining two in the same fashion and follows him. "I can see what Sam is doing." Hymara biotically lifts the heavy kitchen box and moves it to the kitchen area.

"What else is there?" Kate curious as she peers into another box. "Looks like a console." Lianta peers in.

"It is. I guess that box will be one as well." Lianta pointing to a box the same size a short distance away by the bottom of the stairs. Kate rips off the tape and looks inside before nodding. "I think putting these in the room opposite the kitchen for now would be a good idea." Kate and Lianta pick up a box each and they move them to the room. Sam and Amistathya come back from upstairs to see Silana checking out one of the longer thin boxes.

"The smaller one is a video screen the larger two behind are desks."

"I bet you are happy to hear that?" Sam looking to Hymara.

"If it means I do not have to listen to you then yes."

"Ouch." Sam laughs. "I think it would be best to ask you which room downstairs you two would like as one of these desks would be for you."

"We will take whichever you do not want Sam."

"Ok Lianta, how about you have the two rooms nearest the front on the right hand side?" Lianta looks to Hymara who shrugs.

"That sounds ok to us."

"Good as it means we can have an idea of where everything needs to go. Silana, Ami could you help me with the desks." The two of them nod and they take the desks away from the bottom of the stairs, one into first room on the right and one into the left hand room. Hymara and Lianta move the video screen to the obvious table in the living area. Kate looks in another of the boxes to find food which she takes to the kitchen area for the others to put away.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Silana and Kate had made something for all of them to eat as the others brought the rest of the boxes from the shuttle to the apartment. Sam and Amistathya walked back in with the last two boxes to see everyone sat at the dining table eating. "I was about to ask how long food would be as moving makes you fairly hungry it seems."

"I must say it is not the best as it was mostly the first things out of the boxes."

"I was not expecting more than a snack to be fair Kate." Sam takes a seat next to Silana. Ami takes her plate from the table and places it on top of one of the cardboard boxes before kneeling down and eating.

"What?" Ami smiling as everyone excluding Sam wonders what is going on.

"I am curious as why you are kneeling down and using a box to eat from Athya?"

"It is either that or I stand up Kate. Before you accuse Sam, as was explained earlier I am willingly doing this."

"You said there were three Sam. Could you explain the third?" Sam looks to Amistathya.

"Lianta, I have offered to only wear transparent items in the apartment."

"The no seats rule is also only in the apartment as well so you have no need to worry about her causing you any more problems Lianta."

"Are you treating me differently Sam?" Silana curious.

"You want treating the same?"

"We are both your servants so why should one of us be treated differently to the other?"

"I would say because you are both different but that is not going to sway your decision is it Silana?" She shakes her head. "Ami, I packed the rope in one of the boxes in the back room on the right. Could you bring me a piece please?" She puts her fork down and goes to get it.

"Sam, what are you doing?"

"I am offering the same to Silana as I do to Ami Kate." Amistathya comes back with one piece of the rope and hands it to Ami. "Thank you." She nods before going back to finishing off her dinner. Sam coils the rope up and places it in front of Silana after moving her plate. "I would like you to suggest a punishment which is suitable for the amount of times you have forgotten about the first rule. The only physical item I can use is that one piece of rope. I will give you a few minutes to think of your offer."

"That is mean Sam." Kate not looking too impressed.

"I hope you do not mind if myself and Hymara make our bed up Sam."

"Not at all." The two of them vacate the table and head upstairs. "Silana do you have an idea or any questions?"

"I would feel better if I knew the amount of times I had broken the rule Sam."

"That is for you to try and remember Silana. I will go and un-box a few chairs while you have a think. Feel free to converse with Ami if you wish. Would you like to come with me Kate?" She nods and the pair of them go to the room behind the kitchen area.

"Could I ask for your advice Athya?"

"Sam knows that I have done very little wrong in the past and been badly punished for doing so. Sam is much more lenient for me but he may be quite harsh for you I do not know. I doubt given your situation that any punishment using that piece of rope would be sufficient. Just do not beg for his forgiveness Silana as that will cause more problems."

"What would you do in my situation?"

"I can suggest one thing but I know you will find it mentally difficult to agree to. I know Sam would accept it if you deliver the suggestion with no hesitation or nervousness. I also know you will really not enjoy the rest of your time here if you are not fully committed and are not happy with it."

"What is it you recommend?"

"Apologise for the mistake, offer to willingly take on any future suggestions he makes as rules, state you will promise never break a rule again and you will accept something to remind you of this fact."

"I could not promise that Athya as that would need more mental strength than I have."

"Sam is not going to kill you if you do make a mistake Silana. All he wants is for you to abide by the rules given. I admit what I recommended is difficult at first but it soon gets easier, trust me. If you do unfortunately make an accidental mistake in the future, even if Sam is not around, apologise and state why at the first possible opportunity. You are likely to get a small punishment but he will appreciate the fact that you told him. The gain in mutual trust is worth more than an hour or two of discomfort."

"I might be able to manage that as it does not sound as rigid as I first thought. What would you recommend as a reminder however as I have no idea?"

"Just something that can be kept on you most of the time. I chose the rope collar as it fits the criteria and I have to be careful with my skin. You could choose the same, or a different material or something entirely different. Bright coloured clothing or white lipstick are just a couple of examples you could consider. It does not have to be visible though as long as it is a reminder to you and you have it on or with you most of the time." Silana nods in thought.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Kate before you say anything, you broke that rule twice in your weekend. Silana has already done so at least four times. You got treated a little favourably since you were inexperienced. Given that how do you think I should treat Silana?"

"Asking her to come up with the punishment is evil though as it hurts her twice. Once while trying to work out what to suggest and the second when it happens."

"She wanted to be treated like Ami which means mistakes cost a lot. I am not limited by the contract much but I really do not want to hurt her. I just hope you can actually trust me Kate."

"You know I have always had a bit of a problem with this Sam. While you seemed reasonable and stable until our contract you seem to have become a little unreasonable and erratic since."

"I asked Ami to tell me if that happened but I suppose she has the same problem. That weekend I moved on to the third block of memories from Ami and they were bad Kate. I know knowing this will change me but I was just hoping I could stay as reasonable as possible."

"We have no real idea how bad other than Sha'ira mentioning she did not know how she survived."

"Burning her skin was only the last in an agonising succession of abuse Kate. I mean spending several months in a hospital afterwards with only a single visit very early on from someone who she did not really know well is not particularly easy either."

"Did her parents not visit or any friends?"

"Her parents had died and she had been a servant for many years prior so her friends would not exactly be allowed to leave to see her." Sam thought the little lie about her mother was about right as it was what Amistathya thought at the time. Kate does not seem to know what to say. "I hope you have a bit of a clearer picture now Kate but I have to say that please do ask Ami to tell you anything else as it is her past and she may not want me telling everyone."

"I will."

"I should get back to see what Silana has come up with." The two of them walk out of the room towards Silana who still seemed to be contemplating but does at least have her arms folded behind her. Amistathya is washing the dishes. "I guess you two have spoken then?"

"Yes. Athya has explained to me what is expected of her and therefore what I should adhere to as well. I therefore must express my sincerest apologies for breaking the rule as it is simple, but I understand an apology will not suffice. All I can offer you as well is to accept your suggestions as rules from this point on, to only wear bright yellow underwear as much as possible as a reminder of this moment and to promise to do everything I can not to break another rule again."

"If I gave you a glass jar with toxic labels on it and asked you to consume the contents would you hesitate?"

"I will be honest and say I would but I would do so."

"I appreciate the honesty and I can understand the reluctance given we have not known each other long. I appreciate you apologising even if it is wasted Silana." She nods. "I guess you need some time to gather the underwear?"

"I do but it would not take me long Sam."

"Ok. When you drop us off at the house I would appreciate it if you to sort everything you need to, before returning back to the house to pick us up. I would like to suggest you take on two similar rules to Ami when we arrive back here this evening. The first is you must only wear underwear in the apartment. The second is no use of chairs in the apartment. If you must rest then you may kneel as long as your backside does not touch the floor. You may if Ami is allowed to sit on my knee ask if you can use a chair. I hope that is clear enough for you Silana?"

"It is Sam. I must thank you again for accepting my offer."

"It is no problem Silana. I must make a friendly reminder that the first rule is applicable everywhere just in case we go to Eternity or anywhere else for example."

"I understand."

"I think we best be going back. Are you ok about that Kate?"

"I am as it will not be long before the other three get back."

"Silana, could you find Hymara and Lianta?" She nods and heads towards the stairs. "Ami, do you think Silana can cope with the stress of an agreement like this?"

"She knows it is going to be tough Sam. I will help her through the first few days if I must but it gets easier quickly so she should be fine." Sam nods as Hymara and Lianta come down the stairs with Silana following. The four of them move to meet them at the bottom of the stairs near the door.

"I guess you either did not want to know what happens because you do not like it or because you like not understanding."

"I think Lianta and I would rather not know the agreement between Amistathya, Silana and yourself Sam. If you could just warn us what to expect from it we will be happy with whatever."

"Well Silana wishes to be treated the same as Ami so expect to see similar actions. I think we should head back to the house anyway." The six of them head out of the apartment and to the shuttle.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Sentix need to hire a new test engineer as she was miserable."

"You have three weeks now to get over it Seliha." Fosanta trying to stay positive in the hope some of it rubs off on Seliha.

"I am going to have an early night tonight I think as today has felt like three. It seems Sam is not back yet."

"Perhaps they are still unpacking things as moving is generally not all that easy." Adastra places the shuttle on her pad and the three of them exit the shuttle and walk to the house. "Kate should be around at least." They walk in through the door to find everyone excluding Silana in the sitting area.

"Hello you three. I can see you look rather warn out Adastra."

"I feel it as well Sam. How has your day been?"

"Not bad. I may need to look into getting a few things from Nos Astra on Monday but there is nearly everything we need there." Adastra nods.

"Where is the other one?"

"Silana is busy sorting some things out. She will be back in a bit Seliha."

"I guess you had a boring day Kate?"

"It has not been too bad Fosanta. I do however think that we have some things that need sorting out for the event tomorrow."

"I think we can do that Kate. What time can you meet us here in the morning Sam?"

"About ten?" Fosanta nods. "I do apologise but I think this may have been half my fault being a little friendly with a delivery person."

"What do you mean by a little friendly Sam?"

"I mean I let her ask one question and I had to come up with the less default answer so I offered to give her a tour around the event the day before. So I may have inadvertently set the date for the event as the 6th May."

"You mean she asked for sex Sam?"

"Luckily she said something special instead Adastra. Enisa I believe her name was. I best write that down." Sam opens his Omni-tool to make a note.

"So how much did you actually say?"

"Sam only told her to go to Sentix on the fifth at nine in the morning. Nothing more obvious Fosanta." Kate answering while Sam finishes off his typing.

"Ok. I am glad you did not say anything else otherwise we may have had problems. Are you two staying for the evening as we should make something to eat?"

"We have quite a bit still left to unpack so we will be fine Fosanta. We are just waiting for Silana to arrive back. Does anyone have any plans for this evening?"

"Early night Sam as last night and today have been tiring." Sam nods.

"Not a lot Sam. I best make some food for everyone or it will be late." Fosanta disappears to the kitchen with Kate following. Adastra and Seliha take a seat opposite Sam and Amistathya.

"I will miss having you around Sam, even if we have not been in the house much together lately."

"Adastra, come around to the apartment on Monday. We can have a talk about the thruster and you can see what it is like." Adastra nods as Silana walks in through the front door. "I guess you have got everything done?"

"Yes. I hope you do not mind that I went to my room at Sentix to get a few things Sam."

"Of course not Silana. We have quite a bit of unpacking to do this evening so we are not going to hang around long. Adastra, Seliha. I will see you both in the morning." Sam stands and gets a hug off Adastra. "Will anything I say make you less unhappy about this Adastra?"

"It is more the fact that we have been together through a lot and you will not be there now to help."

"I am just a short shuttle ride away Adastra. I know I may not be by your side but it should be Seliha you should go to first."

"I understand. I will see you tomorrow." Sam nods. Seliha moves to Sam and gives him a short hug.

"I hope you understand when I say I am not sad you are leaving but I will miss you."

"I understand your position Seliha. I just hope that you can visit without Adastra dragging you along so to speak." She nods which does not give Sam a lot of hope it has sunk in but it was all he could expect. "I better say goodbye to the other two." Sam walks to the kitchen. "I am just making this a sort of official separation goodbye even though I will be seeing you all tomorrow." Fosanta gives Sam a short hug.

"I do wish you well and I hope we see you as often as we did here as you really did bring us all together Sam."

"I will do everything I can to see you often. If work starts to get in the way then it may be more difficult but I am going to push for a good contract so it should not be too difficult. I am sure we will have to go to Thessia together possibly a couple of times as well before May."

"I am in two minds about you leaving Sam. I cannot understand your strange logic at times surrounding Ami and now Silana but it will not be the same without you."

"I do apologise for you feeling that way Kate but Ami and I are just the weird mix which works. I do however understand it does not sit well with you but as I said to Seliha I hope this does not mean you would not visit me."

"Of course not Sam." Sam holds his arms out. Kate gets the hint and gives him a hug. "I will see you tomorrow."

"You will we must leave unfortunately. Have a good night." The two of them nod and Sam leaves the kitchen. "See you both tomorrow."

"Sleep well Sam."

"I will Adastra. I hope you two do too." They nod and Sam leaves the house with Amistathya and Silana. Adastra and Seliha walk into the kitchen.

"It feels quieter already."

"It is but at least Sam does have a very nice apartment." The three Asari look towards Kate who has a grin on her face. "Whoops."

"So you were not sitting around all day then?"

"No Seliha. Usarta allowed Sam to take me to the apartment to help move things in. It cannot be much smaller than this house and it has a nice view. It will be different to what you are imagining it to be like when you see it."

"So it is not four bedrooms, a bathroom, a spare room, a kitchen diner and a living space?"

"Four large bedrooms and a bathroom on the upper floor, living space, a kitchen diner and three spare rooms on the lower. The main window is an entire wall over both floors."

"Two floors. That I was not expecting as every apartment block I have seen has had single floor apartments."

"Sam said that it used to be an office block originally Adastra."

"That makes sense. I am quite looking forward to being able to visit now."

"I am a little intrigued as well." Seliha seemed to just be vocalising her curiosity more than trying to impart anything useful into the conversation.

"It is rather odd though in that there is so much space and yet it feels quite small in a strange way."

"I must stop this conversation to say food is ready otherwise it will be burning or cold." Kate moving to help Fosanta plate it up. The four of them decide to eat in the Kitchen.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Were all the others a little disappointed that you two were leaving them?" Sam wondering if they had a similar reaction to what Sam had received. Silana setting the shuttle down on the pad at the apartment.

"A little but not really. We work best in pairs Sam and we tended to keep ourselves to ourselves most of the time. We also understood that something like this was going to happen eventually. Especially so if two of you three pairs were to start a family as that house would not have been big enough." The five of them get out of the shuttle, Silana and Amistathya carrying a box each to the lift.

"I guess you had a few bets on how things were progressing. Would you care to fill me in on some Hymara?"

"Surprisingly we all thought that Fosanta and Kate would be the first to move."

"So you thought they would start a family first?"

"No Sam, it was the fact that Kate and Fosanta are more their own group." The five of them enter the apartment.

"I can see way you would think that Lianta. Are you two going to set up the video screen?"

"Yes as there is not much else to be doing." Sam nods and the two commandos head over to the box by the sofas.

"Could you two come with me?" Sam heading down the corridor to the second room on the right. The three of them enter the large room which only had several boxes in one corner to attempt to fill the vast space. "This room as you may have guessed has all your boxes in Ami. I would like you to sort your safe box out and I would also like you both to get changed to adhere to the rules in here before helping me make something to eat."

"Could you not look yet Sam?" Sam nods and turns his back to Amistathya which was not hard to do given the space.

"Could you wait a few moments Sam?"

"Of course Silana." She quickly removes her clothes putting them in a pile but putting her underwear in the smaller of the two boxes she had brought. She takes a roll of tape from the larger box and seals the smaller box closed. Sam looks on in curiosity as to what is happening.

"All of my old underwear is in that box Sam. I from this point forwards only have bright yellow underwear. I did this to show I meant what I said earlier."

"I am curious why you wished to remove the old things?"

"I usually wore blue or rarely black underwear Sam. I am not the most outgoing individual so I preferred it that way. I would always have chosen blue or black over yellow."

"I understand but the way you say it sounds like you will be unhappy with this decision."

"It is a choice Sam. Athya gave me some ideas and while a rope collar would have been ok, Sentix already have their servants wear a fabric strip around their necks. I would rather something different for a different commitment and since I prefer to wear underwear to bed then I thought it was something I could do."

"So the only real time you will have it removed is when changing for fresh ones or having a shower or bath?"

"Yes Sam."

"You are going to a lot of effort for all of this. I am just hoping you put as much effort into what you should be concentrating on. Anyway find me in the kitchen when you are ready."

"I will Sam." Sam leaves the two of them and heads to the kitchen to make something for the five of them. "I am curious as to what you are doing Athya?" Amistathya puts the last few items in the box before closing the top and turning around to talk.

"I expressed a wish for Sam to be more playful with me Silana. I am just hoping this makes a bit of a difference." Amistathya goes to the next box and pulls out a pair of shorts and a tank top. She carefully removes her clothes keeping one eye on Silana and pulls on the transparent items she had just taken out of the box. "I am so happy that I am at least content with how I look as there is not a lot left to the imagination." Amistathya looking down at herself before looking back to Silana who seemed happy enough to just watch. "Silana, you will have plenty of time to look later."

"Sorry Athya but your markings confuse me. Adastra's were as I expected, small patches close to each other to make a pattern like your facial markings. The ones on your body though are large continuous lines which is really strange."

"They have always been like that Silana. One of nature's oddities I guess." Silana nods and goes to her box and picks out a small pack of yellow. She opens it and pulls out the bra and briefs looking at them.

"Well they are certainly yellow but at least they should allow me some modesty." Amistathya laughs a little as Silana puts them on.

"It is really not like you have anything to hide Silana unlike myself. I personally might have picked a slightly less vibrant yellow though as it is a bit bright."

"Do you think it is too much?"

"Are you having second thoughts about your choice now?"

"Not really. I think it will just take me a little while to get used to the concept. It is not like I could have a collar as Sentix already do that."

"Is that just to allow them to distinguish servants?"

"No. The colour varies depending upon your role, however it is always brightly coloured. There may also be stripes of a dark colour to denote other things. I have a bright green collar with purple and black stripes. That means I am a propulsion engineer for Armali products and I have authority over any servants under me. I do not have any but the designation is there."

"I guess it is removable then?"

"Yes. One end has a very simple plastic mechanism which would break if it got caught on something. There are very harsh punishments given if it is ever removed while on Sentix premises or at an event Sentix is hosting."

"So they do not use it for tracking or anything else?"

"They do use it for tracking so they know who is where. There are no time limitations usually unless Liphanya is making your life hard, so it is not like they use it to control you. It also gets you free meals in the food hall, they are a bit bland but you get a decent amount."

"I think we best go to Sam as I guess he will be wondering what is happening." Silana nods and the two of them walk to meet Sam who was just plating up. "Apologies, Silana got talking about Sentix." Sam nods.

"I think the yellow suits you actually Silana. I personally think it is a bit much on some skin colours."

"Thank you Lianta." She nods as Sam takes a seat at the table.

"After watching you eat from the box earlier Ami I thought I should let you both kneel on the chairs to eat from the table." The two of them nod and do so. "I am curious as to what you were talking about in relation to Sentix Silana?"

"Just about the fabric collar they use Sam." Silana keeping the answer short to continue eating.

"Do they have any specific purpose or just as a servant designation?"

"As I said to Athya, mine is bright green with purple and black stripes. This means I am a propulsions engineer for Armali products and I have authority over any servants under me. I do not have any however but it shows what authority you have."

"I sort of like that idea but it only works if everyone has one, or is it just something to demoralise the workers a little?"

"Almost all workers are servants Sam so you can usually tell quickly who to ask if you need something doing. The rigid structure dictates that you may only converse with others with a different colour fabric who have the same authority level. So I would need to find someone with a black stripe. If I have a bigger problem I can speak to Liphanya but she is the only non servant employee I am allowed to speak to as I wish."

"I understand. I am going to have so many questions when I meet Olissa next week though as there are a few peculiarities which are not making sense. It is ok I will ask Olissa about them Silana as you may not have all the answers." She nods and resumes eating.

"Sam I need to say I have sorted the box out for when you wish to view it."

"Probably tomorrow Ami as we have the beds to make up and I thought you could be tempted by a bath." She smiles and nods. "Silana, I would have offered you the same if I thought Ami would have no issue with it but I think it would create undue nervousness. I therefore suggest that you think of something that you would like, it can be anything you wish."

"Anything?" Sam nods. "Do either of you two have any suggestions?"

"I am sure you could get better advice off Sam or Amistathya than you could from Hymara or myself Silana." She nods and looks to Amistathya who was next to her.

"Sam, I will be ok if I can sit behind you in the bath."

"You have two options now Silana. If you feel comfortable then you can join us or you can choose something else. What would you like?"

"What will happen if I join you?"

"I will be up to you to suggest ideas Silana and if you are not comfortable with something say so. That system worked well between Ami and I on the Citadel."

"I will join you then Sam."

"That makes me feel a little happier. Hymara, Lianta we have not forgotten about you but I think you would prefer it when we were not on Illium and the contract is not applicable."

"I personally would prefer that as well Sam as I do not particularly like you having the power to take advantage of Amistathya."

"I think it would be more friendly that way Sam." He nods to Hymara before taking peoples plates to the sink. Amistathya and Silana help Sam to wash them.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Kate would you like to come with me upstairs?" She nods and the two go to their room.

"Could I ask why you brought me up here as I was quite content reading the news on my Omni-tool?"

"I am hoping you have not forgotten what we discussed earlier this week about every so often on non-work nights Kate."

"Oh. There is not too much you can do Fosanta as Sam has taken the rope with him." Fosanta smiles as she begins to get undressed.

"That is ok Kate as I had a different idea for this evening. I would like you to earn your meld this time."

"You have said this before and it was always fairly easy."

"I have Kate. Could you strip and come to sit on the bed." Fosanta taking the vibrator out of the drawer. Kate sits down next to Fosanta. "I am sure you remember your friend."

"Unfortunately." The two of them laugh a little.

"I propose you put it in yourself, if you can make me orgasm before you do then you get to meld. If you let the vibrator slip out then you do not. You may not hold it in with your hands, feet or by sitting on it."

"That is mean Fosanta."

"At least you can use your fingers Kate." Fosanta moves to the middle of the bed with a smile on her face before spreading her legs.

"I am glad you are at least a little reasonable. I do not think I could cope with a bondmate like Athya." Fosanta laughs a little.

"You can start when you are ready Kate." She shuffles along the bed to kneel below Fosanta. Taking the vibrator she turns it on before gradually pushing it in. "This is impossible." Kate already feeling the flood of pleasure affecting her.

"The quicker you are the better the chance of you succeeding Kate." She drops forward on her elbows and with her right hand begins to fuck Fosanta with her fingers. It is only a few seconds before the vibrator drops out with an obvious disappointment from Kate. "I apologise."

"Sit on the vibrator Kate." She does so and quickly achieves the orgasm she was close to getting before she lost the vibrator. Kate moves away from the vibrator before looking towards Fosanta. "I feel a little uneasy that you have not got anything out of tonight and I have."

"How about doing something then Kate rather than feeling bad?" She plucks the slightly tacky vibrator off the bed and holds it against Fosanta with her left hand as she fucks her with her right. Fosanta closes her eyes as her breathing becomes more rapid until she takes a large breath and squirms away from the vibrator. "I think a shower would, be a good idea." Fosanta still a little breathless. Kate nods and turns the vibrator off before the two of them head to the bathroom.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam looks at the datapad on the top of the nine boxes next to the six toilet rolls.

_To All,_

_In this box are a few bathroom items for each of you. Amistathya and Sam your boxes are labelled. Lianta and Hymara's boxes are numbered with a one. The four guest boxes are labelled with a two. The final box has a few things inside for Sam and Athya._

Sam takes out the larger box and has a look inside finding several what looked like marker pens. Amistathya appears from their room on the opposite side to the bathroom at the end of the corridor after making the bed up. "Are we ready?" Sam closes the box back up.

"I am." Sam turning around to look at Amistathya. He pulls out their boxes and one for Silana and holds out Amistathya's box to her. "This one is yours from Armali." She takes the box carefully and opens it before pulling out the towel, a smile growing on her face.

"I really like these Sam." Amistathya unfurls the microfibre towel from its previous size at no bigger than a paperback book into a large bath towel.

"I like the blue with light blue stripes." Sam having a feel at the edge of the towel. "I actually brought a couple of towels similar to this back with me. I know you like them because they are smooth. I like them because they pack small and dry you well."

"You brought one with you and you have not used them?" Sam opens his and finds a green with dark green stripes.

"I never had a need to as the ones provided were good enough. I do see why they were named as your towel matches you and I guess mine is just different. I quite like green though." Silana walks down the corridor from her room on the same side as the bathroom at the end. The middle bedroom between her room and the bathroom being left unoccupied.

"I did not notice any towels in the bathroom earlier and I see you both have one. I am starting to regret not bringing one from my apartment earlier now."

"We all have a box Silana." Sam picks up the unopened box from the floor and holds it out to Silana. She takes it with a nod and opens the box before pulling out the towel to reveal a purple towel with navy blue stripes. "I quite like that colour actually Silana."

"It is certainly a bit different. I also notice we have a few other bits and pieces as well."

"We do, are you both ready?" The two of them nod and walk into the bathroom with Sam behind them locking the door after he had entered. "I must explain for Silana's benefit, given we all need to give each other equal respect the rules do not apply while you are in here." Amistathya starts running the bath. "Is there anything you definitely do not want happening Silana?"

"I am just generally nervous Sam. I do not have anything specific I would definitely not want you to do. As long as I can ask you to stop I am fairly happy." Sam and Amistathya start taking their clothes off and putting them on the side by the sink.

"I guess the nerves are stopping you from getting undressed?"

"Actually it would be you Sam. I did not know you were quite so, fuzzy." Sam laughs at that description.

"It is called hair Silana. I would recommend getting undressed as it means less wet clothes. If you are worried about removing your underwear, it is fine as we all know the agreement." Amistathya jumps in the bath as it is still running. "I see someone is keen." Silana seems to be motivated a little by Amistathya's action.

"It would be a lie if I said I was not a little exited Sam." He walks over and turns the tap off before taking a seat in front of Amistathya.

"I will get out and drag you in here if I have to Silana." She moves across to the bath but seems a little tentative. "The bottom of the bath is not covered in broken glass Silana. The water is not toxic either." She carefully puts both feet in the water and cautiously sits down.

"Silana, you look like a sunfish out of water. You can either wash yourself or Sam who will then wash you. You can go as little or far as you want."

"I do not think I have felt quite this awkward for a long time."

"Silana if you sit there and do nothing you will feel worse."

"Sam put your left hand behind you." Amistathya speaking in English to keep Silana out of it. Sam does so and takes hold of a vibrator from her.

"Sorry if you did not understand that Silana. I have a question since you seem very nervous about touching anything other than the bath. Do you trust me?" She nods unconvincingly. Sam shuffles forward and puts the vibrator on Silana's azure.

"Sam, please."

"Silana, relax. Just be a little playful, express yourself. I know Ami has already, sneaking this into the bath." Sam turns around to see a smile on her face as she washes her back. He turns back to see Silana finally relaxing. He pulls the vibrator away which seems to get her attention.

"Can I have it back Sam?"

"Asking will not get you it Silana. If you want the vibrator." He waves it in front of her and just before she grabs it Sam moves it under the foamy water.

"This is mean Sam."

"No it would be mean if I asked you to do something for it. All I am saying is take it from me." Sam shuffles back to Amistathya and waves it just above the foam again. Silana goes for Sam's arm instead and works her way to his hand. She gives the thing in his hand a gentle pull. "I would say surprise, but I think you have realised that is not the vibrator." Sam smiles as Silana tries to hide her embarrassment.

"I apologise Sam."

"I knew that was going to happen Silana so there is no need for the apology. I only want you to interact a little so you get something out of this evening." Sam dredges up the vibrator and holds it out to Silana. "Please take it." She does so and carefully places it with an obvious smile appearing on her face. "Ami. Please can you stop licking my neck as it is really quite annoying?" Ami puts her arms around Sam before beginning to tease his cock.

"Would you like me to stop Sam?"

"No but the licking is annoying and I have asked you politely." Silana lets out a low moan, Amistathya taking the opportunity to lick Sam again. "Ami, you know I can win so why do you bother?"

"It is fun Sam." Sam sighs trying to keep his mind off Amistathya playing with him.

"You look a little happier now Silana."

"I am a bit. I am wondering what I can do now though?" Sam closes his eyes. "Is there a problem Sam?"

"There will not be in a minute." Sam slides his right hand down his back to be in contact with Amistathya's azure. "I would strongly advise you not to lick me again Ami." Sam not facing her so he cannot see the smile on her face. She does so and Sam pushes two fingers inside her which she definitely was not expecting given her instant reaction to try and move away. "I did warn you."

"Please Sam."

"Do you mind if I sit in front of you Silana?"

"Not really Sam. Why do you ask?" Sam takes his fingers out of Amistathya before standing and turning around to face her. He sits back down and looks over his shoulder.

"I do apologise if you feel a little wedged in Silana." She nods not seeing what choice she really has. Sam turns back to Amistathya. "I know it is friendly fun Ami, but you know it annoys me. Why therefore did you do it?"

"I found it funny Sam."

"I guess given your lack of a smile that you do not find it quite so funny now?"

"I understand why you did what you did Sam. While I in some ways appreciate it, I really would have preferred you to ask first."

"I did warn you not to Ami and given where my hand was, surely it was obvious what I was to do." Amistathya looks down at the foam floating on top of the water and nods. "I do hope you see I was not intending to hurt you but just give you a little reminder not to go too far and try to obviously manipulate me."

"I apologise Sam. Also looking back I now see you did practically warn me but I was too focused on annoying you. I also apologise if I am not quite as happy now as the memories make the world a bit darker."

"I know that all too well Ami. Would you let me sit behind you? Silana will behave Ami so do not worry." She nods and Sam gets up and steps over Ami who shuffles forward before he sits back down. He gives Amistathya a hug from behind. "I have no idea what to do now as this is rather awkward for me. You Silana look a little nervous sitting on the side and Ami is not quite so cheery. This turned out worse than I had thought which is a shame."

"Sam. I understand you wanting to include me equally but it is clear you and Athya are rather close. I would if you do not mind me doing so wish to leave so you can have some time to yourselves."

"That is your choice entirely Silana however I do feel a little bad about you wishing to make that decision. I would therefore quite like you to take your time this evening to think of something you would like. Unhappy individuals make my life more difficult and I have enough to deal with for now."

"I will do that Sam." He nods over Amistathya's shoulder and Silana gets out of the bath. "I will shower in the morning. I will be in my room if you need me." Silana not taking long at all to dry her lower half.

"Silana, if you do not mind, could you keep your room unlocked in case I need you for something? Also have a good nights sleep."

"Of course Sam. I hope you two have a good night as well." The two of them nod before she collects her yellow underwear and exits the bathroom.

"Ami. I do feel bad about what I did earlier and what it has dragged up from your past but I cannot apologise as you did bring it on yourself. What would cheer you up a little?" Amistathya moves out of Sam's arms and turns around to face him.

"I am not upset or angry about what you did Sam. I accept I am going to have to get over the fear eventually, I just thought I would be able to take my time doing so." She sighs a little. "I hope you do not mind Sam if I just quickly wash myself and we can go to the bedroom."

"Of course not." Sam trying not to convey any of his disappointment in his tone. The two of them do not take too long to finish in the bathroom. As they walk out Hymara and Lianta are waiting outside.

"I guess you had fun?"

"You would think that Lianta but it was not quite as good as I thought it might be. I seemingly have some smoothing over to do now." She nods looking a little confused.

"I hope you both sleep well." Sam and Amistathya nod to Hymara. The two of them head into the bathroom as Sam and Amistathya head down the corridor into the door on the right.

"Sam. I hope you have some time to talk?" Amistathya barely gives Sam time to lock the door.

"I have as long as you need Ami. What is it that you would like to talk about that you could not in the bathroom?" She sits down on the side of the bed and Sam joins her.

"I am conflicted over a few things Sam and I would quite like to clear things up."

"Well I might be able to help there if you voice your concerns Ami." She nods but takes a few seconds to get her thoughts together.

"I feel happy with you as my owner and me being treated as such but I feel happier acting as I did earlier. Given this I am starting to think I would probably be the right individual for you in a couple of hundred years, but not now." Sam puts his arm around her.

"I always had a feeling this subject may come up at some time. I understand and accept you are still young Ami. I understand this may mean you want to be more adventurous, a little silly and not always doing as you are asked. As you said a few weeks ago, you were worried about your young age. You do not need be worried, but you need to work out what you want."

"I am confused what you mean by that Sam."

"Well either you can give up being a servant and become the adorable kid who you just cannot hate no matter how annoying they are, or stay a servant and accept you need to really work on keeping your tendency to annoy to yourself." She looks to the slate grey flooring in the bedroom for inspiration. "Ami I need to say that you are going to have to stay as a servant until after Sentix have given you a job, if they do. I think it would be best for you to stay with me than become a servant to a company."

"I agree with that Sam. The problem I see is that we have tried both of those methods and neither of them seem to work for us." Sam stands up and moves around to the other side of the bed.

"Unfortunately the universe is not being kind to you Ami given your past and then me appearing in your life a couple of hundred years too early in your opinion. You need to however do your best with what you have been given." Sam strips off his clothes and gets into the bed.

"It is just frustrating as I know I would be perfect if I did not get these urges to be a bit silly." Ami begins to take her two items of clothing off before getting in with Sam.

"I understand exactly what you are getting at Ami; however I feel I must give you some advice. No one is ever perfect. There will always be something even if it is something as trivial as a toe nail that grows funny or a small blemish on the skin. There would be no originality in the universe if perfection existed. I mean to be honest, to some Asari, you are nearly at the opposite end of the spectrum to perfect. I however could not imagine a better individual than you Ami and the fact you may be a little child like at times does not change that in any way."

"So you would let me be myself with no contract and a less restrictive agreement?"

"All I wish to ask is for you try not to obviously manipulate me and if I ask you to stop doing something that you do so, at least for a little while. I mean as you have said before I do like you licking my neck. It however irritates me when you do so to provoke a reaction. If I am working on something and I need to concentrate or I am talking to someone then that is not a good time. If however we are alone together for example then it is fine."

"So you just want me to work on my timing more than trying to stop it entirely?"

"If you could try to keep the things like serving urine to an absolute minimum I would greatly appreciate that Ami. I think it would be asking too much for you to stop entirely so just doing so at the right time would be nice if you could try to."

"I will try my best Sam but you must understand that sometimes it is a bit of a random urge."

"You are worrying I am going to hate you if you deviate from what I would like but I am not. I know why you are as you are, for the most part, and I understand and accept that is just you. I would hate you to try and change just for me if you do not want to."

"So will you happily throw out the contract and the agreement we have at the moment?"

"Yes Ami. I am sure that we can sort out the things you got yesterday for example and work something out between us about when to do this." Amistathya shuffles across the bed and gives Sam a hug. "Could I ask you a random question?" She lets Sam go but does not move back.

"I am sure you remember the contract limits you Sam."

"I am well aware of that Ami and it is quite irritating to me. I was just wondering when your birthday is?"

"Seventeenth of March Sam."

"I think it is that week we are to be on Thessia which would be nice for you."

"It will. It is a bit of a wait then until your birthday on the eighth of September though." Sam looks confused and then smiles.

"I keep forgetting you have been in my mind." Sam gives Amistathya a kiss and pulls the duvet from her side. Sam breaks it off after a few seconds and she turns over to see her side of the bed devoid of duvet.

"I guess I will be sleeping on this side tonight."

"You do not sound too disappointed about that." The two of them have a laugh. "I hope you sleep well." Amistathya moves some of the duvet pile from on top of her to Sam and then settles down next to him.

"I must express, how I as well, cannot think of being with anyone better than you Sam. I hope you have a good night."

"I will my sky blue one." Sam gently strokes her folds getting a smile before turning the light off.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**Apologies for the lateness of this chapter but feeling unwell and having a lot of work has taken up all my spare time lately. I know this chapter is heavily focussed on the move but I hope that is not exactly an unreasonable decision given it should be a one off.**

**All reviews are highly appreciated as they are a welcome sight in my inbox some days. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I will post the next chapter on the 8th of August.**


	45. Chapter 45 : Group Meet

**Chapter 45 - Group Meet**

* * *

><p><strong>Sunday 12th February 2017<strong>

"I guess you two had the same done to you as well?" Kate asking as Adastra and Seliha walk into the Kitchen.

"If you mean pallet wrapping the shower so you cannot get into it then yes." Kate laughs a bit. "Seliha has been a bit quiet since she found a piece over the toilet as well which is not the best sign ever."

"I am fine." Seliha puts her bowl on the table taking extra care over not to put it down too hard.

"It was only a farewell joke Seliha." She says nothing but begins to eat her breakfast. Adastra opens her Omni-tool and writes a message. "So is the plan just to try and organise the event today then?" Adastra looks up.

"I assumed so Fosanta."

"Actually all this discussion about messages I have not checked mine yet this morning." Kate opens her Omni-tool to find two messages. The first was from Armali giving a preliminary timetable for the week ahead. She quickly scans over it before reading the second message.

_Kate,_

_My apologies for being late with this message. Attached is a list of individuals and groups that have expressed interest in playing a part in your event. Most of them however wish to be provided with more specifics and a few assurances before agreeing. These are fairly varied but mostly come down to solid details for the event and assurances on security. Some have indicated they are busy and so will only hold the booking for a few days._

_I would have helped more but I have no information to do so._

_Holana_

"It seems I am as popular as Sam now, however I get Holana and not Sha'ira." Fosanta laughs a little.

"Cryptic messages are never fun Kate so be a little thankful. What was the message about though?"

"I have a list of people who have expressed interest in partaking in our event. Some have asked for more specifics before accepting however which makes today quite a bit more important."

"What kind of specifics?"

"Solid details and assurances on security were supposedly the two main ones Fosanta. I guess we are going to have to ask each one on the list individually however."

"That sounds fun."

"You really are not in a very happy mood today are you Seliha?"

"I said I am fine." The three of them leave Seliha alone for now.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Are Sam and Athya always this late up?" Silana asking Hymara and Lianta who were having breakfast.

"They are usually a little later up than us but not always." Silana nods and gets something out of the cupboard for breakfast. "Do you mind if I ask about yesterday?"

"What would you like to know Lianta?"

"I was a little curious about last night when Sam and Amistathya came out of the bathroom without you. Given you have just had a shower now and Sam's comment he made."

"What did he say?"

"That it was not as good as he thought it would be and he has some smoothing over to do."

"The two of them seem remarkably comfortable together and I was quite nervous. Given that, it was not really a situation I could enjoy so I asked to leave early."

"I guess Sam has not told you what is in his other box?"

"What other box?" Silana looking a little confused at Hymara.

"Morning." Sam announcing as he walks down the stairs with Amistathya close behind. "It is ok, you can say if you want Hymara as I have no real idea what they are."

"Lianta and I were remarkably shocked after looking. I do apologise for looking but we needed to know it was not a trap or anything. I guess you do not know what the contents are Sam?"

"I barely looked to be totally honest Hymara."

"Sam, What were they?"

"They sort of looked like marker pens Ami but there were a lot of them with white lids. I was going to have a better look this morning." Amistathya looks confused as the two of them see three Asari trying to avoid attention. "I hope you three understand that I have no concept of Asari specific things?" Sam looks to Amistathya.

"I am not sure by the description what they could be. Would you let me see them Sam?" He nods.

"I did not see the box upstairs, where is it now?"

"It is in your room with all your other boxes Sam." He nods and the two of them go down the corridor and into the second room on the right under their bedroom. "Who ended up giving Sam them though?" Hymara nor Silana seemed to have an answer.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam gets a message on his Omni-tool as he pulls out the box. "That can wait as this has really confused and intrigued me now. Why did the other three seem so nervous?"

"I have no idea as I said Sam. It is probably one of those things you learn as you grow up in secondary school." Sam nods and pulls out the box and opens it. Amistathya looks inside for a few seconds before going slightly grey. "I apologise Sam. I never thought it could be."

"Are you willing to explain to me?" Amistathya goes and locks the door seemingly a little nervous.

"I. This is quite difficult at short notice." Sam pats the floor next to him and Amistathya kneels down. He puts his arm around her.

"Just try to calm down a little Ami. I evidently need to know and it seems you are the only chance I have of finding out. Take your time."

"This bonding ritual has two variants but if you do not know then tradition dictates you should not be told."

"Two questions then, can we discuss when and agree to do so before we begin? Also how is said ritual started as it would be good to know that?"

"We can in this instance discuss when to do this and agree Sam. To start you must drink the orange lidded one and myself the blue. The rest with the white lids are what they say on the label and are there to cover up the contents."

"Why do I get the feeling this is not exactly normal?" Amistathya picks out the two pens with coloured lids.

"I can answer your questions afterwards Sam. I have to ask you if you really do wish to be my bondmate Sam as this is going to be very difficult for us both. I would be greatly pleased if you will but it is up to you to agree."

"As I said last night Ami I can not imagine being with anyone better than you." Ami holds out the pen with the orange lid which Sam takes. "I must ask is it a wise idea to begin now or should we wait until after we have sorted out the event today?"

"It takes about a day to become active Sam. I can answer better after." Sam nods and pulls the lid off his pen to find there was a plastic cap instead of the nib. Amistathya pulls the lid off her marker and removes the cap over where the nib should be. She turns and nods to Sam with a smile before drinking the contents. Sam does the same.

"Well at least it was a fairly pleasant flavour at least."

"I would not know but I have some important information for you now Sam. We have basically poisoned ourselves and we are each others cure. In twenty to thirty hours we will both get a runny nose. The mucus from the other individual will help you."

"Hold on. I guess that is why it has to be hidden then?"

"It is not exactly legal in council space and is not looked upon favourably on Illium Sam so yes. The method of hiding them is so well known to be useless, however since the containers can be anything which holds a liquid there is still some obfuscation. I need to say it is going to be a long five to eight days Sam. Whoever gave you these knows us well as it should in some ways be a little easier for us." Sam seems to start contemplating who it could be.

"So there are variations on this?"

"This was one of the more popular rituals among Asari tribes before being changed to a four container set a few thousand years ago. This has two poisons and two cures which makes it impossible to kill yourself with the cure. It also reduced the casualty rate down to below one in five thousand pairs because of the use of different poisons. The four container set is legal on Illium if it is produced and labelled correctly, the two container set is a grey area and both are illegal in council space."

"What is the rate for the two container set?"

"Rumour has it that it was around one in a hundred pairs Sam but the only real documentation comes from individuals who had complications and needed medical help so it is probably highly biased. Given its popularity then I would assume it was much less than that."

"That is not reassuring me much Ami although it is not like I can back out now."

"I apologise for that Sam. I will help you along and we will both be fine." Sam takes a breath to forget some of the details a little.

"I think we best get something to eat." Amistathya nods and picks up the empty pens before standing and giving Sam a hug.

"I appreciate you doing this Sam."

"I might be saying I am the one that hates you after all this. I suppose it would be payback for Thessia though." The two of them laugh a little as they exit the room and walk to the kitchen.

"I guess Amistathya has told you now then Sam?" Amistathya puts the two empty pens on the table as Sam nods to Hymara. Silana shakes the pens to see if they are full.

"You agreed?" Sam just laughs at the situation as he gets some breakfast. "Athya?"

"Silana, I think it is obvious enough what has happened. I doubt the two of them will admit to it though since it has been illegal for hundreds of years now." Hymara thinking that plausible deniability is out of the window now, given they have seen the empties.

"Surprisingly so is melding when you are on the dangerous list Silana. That has to stay quiet as well." Sam noting as the two of them sit down at the table to begin eating, Amistathya kneeling on the chair. Sam looks at his message that he received earlier.

_Sam,_

_I would advise you to be a little cautious around Seliha today as I do not think she was that pleased at your jokes. I had a good laugh though. I will recommend meeting by the fish pond as it is a bit more open and the commandos can see us out of their window._

_Adastra_

"Great. Seliha does not seem in a good mood after the little jokes I played."

"Why do you have to be such hard work Sam?" Hymara looking a little disappointed in Sam rather than voicing her thoughts.

"Sorry Lianta. I thought of cheering Adastra up more than annoying Seliha. Silana, you should be ok but just be a little cautious."

"I will Sam."

"I have two things I need clearing up before we leave. Silana have you thought what you would like?"

"If you would allow it, the ability to use chairs properly would be nice as kneeling on these hurts my legs."

"I can agree to that." Silana smiles and nods before taking her legs out from underneath herself. "Ami, did you look in your box you got yesterday?"

"I did not Sam. I will go and get it." Amistathya gets up and walks back to the room with the boxes of things in.

"Do you know who sent you the box Sam?"

"You mean the one with the pens in?" Lianta nods. "I have an idea but it may be wrong and I highly doubt they will ever admit to doing so." The three of them look to Sam in interest as Amistathya sits back down next to Sam.

"I have a feeling I could be thinking of the same individual as Sam but unless they say then I would not really like to speculate." The three of them nod and Amistathya carefully opens the box to reveal a small datapad. She turns on the datapad to read the message.

_Amistathya,_

_I hope you find the item in the box useful to you. Armali wished to show that it was a corporate decision and not a personal one. It should at least help you check your messages a little more often as you have one to look at._

She looks confused at the screen as Sam looks over her shoulder before laughing. "I could have guessed."

"Guessed what Sam?"

"That someone is puppeteering all of this Silana." Amistathya takes out the Omni-tool. "That is funny. Now you will have to try and find the mute function in the obscure menu as well Ami." Sam noting the fact it is an engineering model.

"I am sure it is not that bad." She turns it on and not long later, after reading the manual, she gets to her inbox to find one message sitting there which she duly reads.

_Amistathya,_

_While I have not met you in person, a number of individuals have informed me of your situation to which I was interested in listening about. Usually I would never hear about cases such as yours but yourself and Sam have taken a prime location in the galactic medias interest. While Sam has been difficult in the past he does have my upmost respect for sticking to what he believes is correct. I hope that continues. If he needs support in continuing to do so going forward, I will see what I can do to help. If you could also kindly inform him that I have received his recommendation I would appreciate it._

_Asari Councillor_

"Errm... That cannot be right." Amistathya looking a little bewildered at the message.

"What is it Amistathya?" Sam looks over at the message before yet again laughing.

"It seems you have a new friend Ami. Lianta, if I said the Councillor has sent her a message would you believe me?"

"No Sam. Why would the Councillor send Amistathya a message?"

"Well I think she is saying that she might support the event which would be quite nice. I am however confused as you are because surely she has an awful lot more important things to be doing."

"Sam. While the Councillor's message is probably important, I believe you said we would be with the others for ten."

"You are correct Silana." Sam checks his Omni-tool. "Thank you for reminding me. We do not have all that long." The five of them quickly clear up after breakfast. Amistathya and Silana get dressed and they all leave for the house.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Is there a reason you wanted us to meet out here Adastra?" Fosanta asking as she watches Kate try to stroke one of the fish but just succeeding in scaring it off, much to her evident disappointment.

"I thought it was a nice day and somewhere a bit different rather than being inside all the time. I am wondering where they have got to though."

"It is not like it is an appointment Adastra. Also it is a Sunday so we can afford to take it a little easier." Kate talking to the fish rather than at anyone else. A shadow passes over them as the shuttle comes in to land. "They are not that late. I mean I have waited thirty minutes before for some of the individuals who go to Armali."

"Does that not annoy you?" Fosanta a little curious as Kate usually does not talk too much about work.

"It does a bit as the appointments are made by client and they specify the time. I understand it is unavoidable in some situations however." The five of them walk across to the pond from the shuttle.

"I believe I must apologise for being late. It has been a silly morning." The five of them take a seat on the wall around the pond.

"It is ok Sam. Kate had a message this morning with some more information so we have a few things to talk about."

"Before we start Fosanta. Seliha, my apologies if you did not find the jokes amusing. I was intending for them to please Adastra more than making you unhappy." She nods but says nothing. "I also apologise to you two if I annoyed you in any way."

"We both found the funny side Sam and it was not that difficult to remove. Did you have a good night in your apartment?"

"It was not the best evening ever but I slept well Kate. So what was your message about?"

"It was from Holana giving us a list of people who have expressed an interest in participating."

"That is great news but to be honest I have no idea who they would be and I doubt Ami would either."

"I get what you are implying Sam. Kate said that some of them would like to know some event specifics and some guarantee on security."

"That is a bit more important Adastra. I guess these people will not hang on forever."

"No Sam. Holana specifically stated that, hence why today is a bit more important." Kate seemed to now be concentrating more on the conversation than on the fish. Sam opens his Omni-tool and does a bit of calculating.

"Well using the size of the hanger and assuming we want about a hundred metres for the stage and infrastructure then without excessively packing people in then two hundred thousand would be a good round number."

"How are you working that out Sam?"

"Each person gets two square metres Adastra. That should be enough for each person to do what they want and still allow people to move around." Adastra holds her arms out trying to gauge the size.

"That sounds reasonable without packing everyone in Sam. What do you two think?"

"I think it is a lot of people to have in one place and we have not seen it."

"It is bigger than you think Fosanta. Your number sounds even a little low if we are talking hanger four Sam." Silana seemingly approving.

"We are Silana. How many would you recommend?"

"I would say a quarter of a million but not start turning anyone down before a third of a million as the more people are there the better I guess."

"You think the hanger can take three hundred and thirty thousand people Silana?"

"You could probably get half a million in there Kate. There is a reason Sentix is classed as an emergency shelter point in case of any disaster in Nos Astra and it is because of its scale."

"I think half a million would be too much of a squeeze but I will take two hundred and fifty thousand as a good starting point. I appreciate that help."

"No problem Sam. I must also make a point that Sentix have a barrier curtain in each hanger so that when ships enter and exit they do not burn the building. It is not that solid but should be able to hold off people for a couple of minutes. You could use that to protect people on the stage from the crowd if you wish." Sam smiles.

"Is there anything else we should know about Silana?"

"Unfortunately not Kate. The hangers have hardly any permanent equipment; the barrier curtain and the overhead gantry are the only things I can think of. Everything else is moved in or out as it is needed to make better use of everything."

"It is ok Silana. I was just interested if there was anything else we could make use of. Sam if we sort through the list of interested people this evening and meet you tomorrow evening at your apartment would that be a reasonable idea?"

"Yes but I have to say two things. First Ami got a message this morning which could be important. Second I am not sure what state I will be in tomorrow." Even Seliha looks a little confused at that comment.

"What do you mean by that Sam?"

"I really do not know how much I can say Adastra. I can however say Ami got a message from the Asari Councillor saying she will see if she could make it if we ask."

"Why would any of us get a message from the Councillor?" Seliha seemingly so confused it is making her forget about the joke.

"I could not believe it myself Seliha." Amistathya still a little shocked at the fact she had got a message from her.

"You two are joking, I might have believed you if it was you getting hate mail from her Sam." Sam laughs as Amistathya opens her Omni-tool. She forwards the message on to Fosanta and Adastra. The two of them read it with Kate and Seliha looking over their shoulders. "I apologise for doubting you Amistathya. I still do not know why she sent you the message though as it is very vague. Also what recommendation Sam?"

"I made a recommendation to make first contact with Earth sooner rather than later Adastra. I think it would be better for both sides if that is the case. It is however up to the council to make that decision though. If you also need to know I made that while I was on the Citadel a few weeks ago."

"Is there anything else you are not telling us?"

"Yes Seliha but as I said before I do not know how much I can say. I really want to say but the reaction from Hymara, Lianta and Silana was a bit unnerving." Amistathya taps Sam on his shoulder and gestures to his knee. Sam smiles and nods before she takes a seat. "Hymara should I say or is it a bad idea?"

"You are going to have to explain Sam but be very careful how you word it." Sam nods and thinks for a few seconds.

"We got a box in the things we got to move in. It had a number of what looked like marker pens in it, some with coloured lids, the rest not." Adastra is the first to look shocked after putting two and two together. Fosanta and Seliha soon realise as well leaving Kate confused.

"So you got a box of marker pens? Why is this such a big secret?"

"I will leave it to Fosanta to tell you Kate."

"I was going to ask why but I will not. I just wish both of you the best of luck." Amistathya nods.

"I appreciate that Adastra. Thank you."

"Is anyone going to explain to me?" Kate feeling a little left out.

"Bonding ritual Kate. Asari do not have any official ceremony or anything to celebrate becoming bondmates but it is recommended that you register that you are bondmates with the Asari Republics. Some just announce the fact to others but it is usually customary to take one of the old tribal rituals when you feel ready to commit. I will explain more later."

"Why not now as every one else seems to know."

"Would you all like something to eat?" The three of them nod.

"We will get something ourselves Fosanta." Lianta thinking they may as well see the others. Fosanta nods and gestures Kate to follow which she does.

"So all of that happened this morning Sam?"

"I said it was a crazy morning Adastra."

"How are you finding all this Silana as you seem a bit bored?"

"It is hard to describe Adastra. It has certainly taught me some things, which is never a bad thing. I do think Sentix's idea for making me Sam's servant was not the best idea however as just living together would have been enough to work out how Sam treats Athya."

"Can you remind me about that before Olissa meets us Silana as I will probably forget?"

"I will Sam. I will also help you with Olissa as I can see her not liking what is to happen." Sam nods but says nothing as Amistathya takes off a glove and plays with the water in the pond.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Fosanta and Kate walk into the kitchen. "Kate I described what Sam and Amistathya are doing but you need to know why we were shocked." Kate nods. "If I say it is illegal to produce and use in council space, then I hope you get why we are a bit shocked."

"Yes. Can I ask why is it illegal though?"

"There are usually twelve containers, four of which have colours on them, the rest being plain. Typically they are blue, black, orange and red. The two lighter colours, so red and orange are harmful and the darker ones are the cure to their nearest colour. Each partner consumes their chosen light colour and the opposite dark colour, so orange would drink black and red, blue."

"Why would you do that?" Kate wondering what kind of idiot came up with that idea.

"The body does not like the cure and so excretes it somehow Kate. Usually it is through mucus as that is the most traditional but since the substance is synthetic it can be any way the designer wishes. I am sure you can work out how they cure each other." Kate screwing her face up and going a little green at the thought.

"I am not sure I can eat lunch now. Thank you for that."

"I am sure you will be fine Kate. Try to think about something else." Kate nods, seemingly not finding Fosanta's advice too helpful.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Everyone had been outside for only a few minutes after they had finished lunch before Selayla appeared. "Hello Sam." Sam looks up from observing the fish.

"I am seeing if the fish will talk again Selayla. They seem quieter when Ami is with me though." She laughs a little.

"You did seem a little lost last Thursday Sam. I hope you both stay well for a while this time." Sam nods with a smile before going back to observing.

"I am a little confused why you are here Selayla without Kalawa." Fosanta wondering if she will at least partially admit to liking Amistathya.

"I wished to see how Sam was Fosanta, he was not too happy last Thursday when we last spoke."

"I guess everyone will be coming around tomorrow then?"

"We would quite like to see your apartment Sam but it is up to you when we visit."

"Earlier in the week would be better I think Adastra. If you could get together and come up with a couple of ideas for the type of event given the list of people then it would be appreciated. I will make some notes tomorrow for things I must ask Olissa so I do not forget. Ami or I will ask the Councillor if she would be willing to turn up after we have narrowed down roughly what is to happen."

"I should be testing the thruster again tomorrow Sam so I may have some news from that as well."

"I look forward to that Adastra."

"I only have what Sephaila said in my head at the moment. She wished us luck but had no idea how we were to manage this. There is so much to do and only about two perhaps three weeks before most of the content is to be decided upon."

"Everyone, expecting this to go perfectly is doomed to fail as of now. There will be mistakes and things we could do better given this is the first time. All we can do is our best and try to get as much help as we can. An idea I had is that I am sure students from the University of Serrice doing media may be interested in helping us with the advertisements." Adastra smiles.

"I will make some inquiries after tomorrow Sam to see if they will as I still have some contacts there."

"Whesiva also made mention to something I think you said Sam. You said perhaps some short video pieces for the event. Maybe they could help with those as well but we would need to decide who is to do them."

"I will Fosanta as long as I agree to its content and it is done well." Amistathya being the first to voice her support.

"While I would do one, I would like to keep my markings hidden if no one objects. Perhaps more an interview style or something."

"Adastra, would you be willing to show an arm or a leg?"

"I will think about it Sam as I am not sure how I feel about that idea." Sam nods.

"We would all support you Adastra. If you wanted you could even do a double video with Seliha if you feel more comfortable with that idea. It is up to you but we have no set ideas so whatever you can think of we can try to do." Kate's PR skills starting to bubble to the surface. Adastra looks to Seliha.

"Only if we keep the content about the markings."

"Seliha your duality syndrome could be worth mentioning, you do not have to be specific but just show that while you can be a little scary that you are a good person. Could you do that?" Fosanta asking the question Sam nor Kate dared.

"I am sure that we can make a point without giving any personal specifics Seliha. I would quite like you to be in the video with me but I would prefer it if it did not look like we went with each other for just the markings."

"I see your point. I would like to think about it first."

"Well Adastra wants some time as well so perhaps discussing it between yourselves would be a nice idea." Seliha nods to Sam. "I would recommend you and I Kate not do one as I would hate the media to get the wrong idea about our species."

"That I agree with Sam. Is there anyone else?"

"I would Kate but I have nothing relevant to talk about unfortunately other than being a servant." Sam has a think.

"Silana, we are going to need extra help for things like registration when people arrive for example. I unfortunately guess they will end up being servants whether from Sentix or Armali or somewhere else. Would you be up to the challenge of organising, keeping these individuals happy and ensuring they are treated well?"

"If I can have some help from you and Sentix allow me to then I will Sam."

"I am glad you said yes as I need someone I can trust and I know this sounds a bit mean but given your position now they may see you as someone who is a little more approachable than myself." Silana nods with a slight smile. "Kate I know it is a bit mean but can you handle the media as I know that is roughly what you used to do back home?"

"As long as I am given all the facts I need, I think I can do that Sam. I will need Swathana and Yasmari with me though to stop anyone of asking personal questions." Sam nods.

"What are you to do Sam?" Fosanta wondering how he has not got a role yet.

"Between myself and Ami we will have to be prepared to fix the thrusters if they break. I know I might choke but since this was my idea originally I have the envious task of making a stage appearance, possibly at the beginning to explain what is to happen and why this all came to be. I could also do some media work on the technical side if needed."

"I suppose it is just me left to find my position."

"I am sure we need an announcer Fosanta. I cannot see why you would need to make a stage appearance at any time."

"Kate's idea sounds ok to me. Would you do that then Fosanta?"

"I can Sam as it is not difficult to talk." That gets a laugh out of most of the group.

"I feel myself and Seliha are not really putting as much in as everyone else."

"I think Sam just wants us to do something Adastra, however small."

"I could not have put it much better myself Silana. However if you do the video then you have done more than most Adastra as without you designing the thrusters, we would have no sound. That is a big contribution however you look at it. All I want is everyone that offers something to have a good experience not to feel like this is a chore." Sam gets a few nods with that, a more emphasised one from Adastra however.

"Well this has turned out quite a bit more productive than I thought it might. I guess you five will want to head back to your apartment."

"I would Fosanta as I have a few things we need to get from Nos Astra on the way back. I will look forward to hearing from you all tomorrow."

"I hope tomorrow is ok for you Sam."

"Again I appreciate your concern but I will be ok Adastra. I hope you have a pleasant day tomorrow Seliha." She nods. "Same goes for you two as well."

"We will Sam, have a good evening." The five of them leave with their shuttle taking off in the late afternoon sun.

"Well that was rather impressive how you sorted so much out so quickly."

"There is a lot left to discuss and sort yet Selayla. This is just the bare minimum to get started."

"I will leave you all to do so. Sleep well." The four of them nod and Selayla heads back to the house with everyone else heading in for food shortly after.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The five of them enter the apartment, each with a bag of something. "I wonder why Kate and Fosanta do not have the same problem as we do with journalists." Sam putting his bag on the kitchen table.

"Have the two of them actually gone anywhere on their own Sam?"

"I have no idea Lianta, although to be honest if they have it is not as often as we do." She nods.

"Sam could we talk?" Sam nods to Amistathya and the two of them go to their box room.

"What would you like to talk about?" Amistathya begins to take her outer clothes off as she answers.

"I know you may not like to hear it Sam but I have some details of what will happen." Sam nods. "The reason why the ritual can cause complications is because the cure at the right amount causes the most amount of pain Sam.

"Let me get this right, it is less painful when you are going wrong?"

"Yes Sam and it is a fine line to tread as your body will begin to crave the cure. Basically if you begin to feel better then stop taking the cure. If it gets better still you know it is the wrong way."

"I appreciate you telling me that Ami as I guess I probably would have messed up otherwise. How much of a margin for error do we have?"

"In the first three days including today, very little as you need to neutralise it as quickly as possible. It is a lot less critical after this important time."

"I guess getting an early and a good nights sleep will be the best idea then."

"Yes Sam as it will be the last decent night for a few nights."

"I think we best get back to the others." She nods and the two of them head back to the kitchen. "How big of a problem is this situation we are in as I am a little worried?" Sam asking no one in particular.

"If you continue to do as I asked then in the short term it is nothing to be bothered with Sam. This will eventually get out and it is just a matter of time. I am not sure what you should do then."

"How much would you all hate me if I asked Silana to see if Olissa will come around tomorrow?"

"I do not think we will be too annoyed if you do not admit anything Sam." Lianta nods in agreement with Hymara but seems a little reluctant.

"Sam, whether you admit or not, this is probably going to ruin the chance you have for working at Sentix. As I said I will try to help you as much as I can but I feel my voice may not be heard."

"I will not admit anything but it will probably be pointless Hymara. Silana, I need your experience now. Is Olissa rather open-minded or is she just pleasant but dislikes out of the ordinary?"

"I do not know unfortunately as I have only really met her twice. I however feel she will see you as someone you are not if you do this Sam."

"I am sure you have an opinion Ami."

"If Olissa comes around tomorrow I would recommend asking her to meet again at a later date, possibly the end of the week. That way at least she does not need to make any decisions relating to us tomorrow."

"I knew there was a reason I value your input. Silana, could you contact Olissa and ask if she could meet us here at about seven? I feel it would be a good opportunity to discuss things about the event."

"I will do my best Sam but I will not guarantee anything." Sam nods.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Well that was a rather impressive list of people. I am sure Sam will be happy with our suggestions." Kate nods as she gets undressed. "You seem a little lost in thought Kate."

"I am a bit as you were not overly specific at lunch time about why it was illegal."

"It has the potential to kill Kate. It was typically rather small as the selected poisons are not that potent, about one in ten thousand I think it was but it still does not sit well with people."

"It is an unnecessary chance to be fair but I am sure I have probably done something just as dangerous before so I guess the legal issue is more about principle?"

"It is the potential to deny the other individual of the cure that causes the largest legal problem Kate."

"That makes more sense now." The two of them get into bed. "I guess you would like to do one of these rituals at some time Fosanta?"

"I would but I need to inform you that it is the Asari or the one who has agreed to be the mother of the first child who asks their chosen partner to undertake a certain ritual."

"So I do not get to help choose which one?"

"If I choose then in some cases yes, although another Asari who knows us can choose for us. We can still turn it down if that happens but it is a little impolite to do so. An outside person has to ensure they know the individuals well and know they are ready, which makes it fairly uncommon. I guess that is basically what happened with Amistathya and Sam however."

"I hope you get to choose Fosanta but we need to get to sleep."

"I agree and I will try to pick something you can have a say in Kate." She nods. "Sleep well."

"You too Fosanta." Fosanta smiles before turning the light out.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I can only think of Sha'ira who may have been able to organise this. I doubt that she would risk her reputation for something quite so trivial however."

"Sha'ira knows Sam and Athya that well Hymara?"

"Possibly but I am not sure Silana. I was trying to think of someone who might have the contacts needed to achieve this and she was the only individual I could think of."

"I think I best go to bed as well. I guess I may be helping Sam and Athya a bit tomorrow."

"Have a pleasant night."

"Thank you. Hope you both do too." The pair of them nod as Silana walks up the stairs to her room, a couple of hours after Sam and Amistathya.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**I thought a nice chapter with everyone working together was just what was needed about now. I know the chapters may seem a little plain at the moment but there are a lot of ties from these chapters that extend to much later in the story.**

**I have decided that the Councillor is not the same individual from the Games as Councillor Tevos looks too young to be nearly nine hundred. You can expect similar personalities and a conservative approach to her decisions in much the same way as Tevos had. I assume that kind of personality would be what the Asari Republics would look for in potential Councillors. She will get some character development in future chapters which should make the similarities and differences clear.**

**Reviews are greatly welcomed if you can spare a minute.**

**Next chapter will be posted next Saturday, the 15th of September, as usual.**


	46. Chapter 46 : Organising

**Chapter 46 - Organising**

* * *

><p><strong>Monday 13th February <strong>

"Do either of you know when we should go around this evening?" Fosanta asking Adastra and Seliha as they walk in for breakfast.

"I have no idea Fosanta. I was thinking more about work first to be honest as I am a little exited."

"I will give them a message." Kate opens her Omni-tool as Adastra receives a new message which she reads.

_Adastra,_

_Just a friendly reminder that the thruster is rebuilt and is ready for testing. I am rather impressed with the new improvements._

_Sephaila_

"Fosanta you could come to see the thruster if you wish with myself and Seliha. It has been rebuilt and is ready for testing."

"I would recommend it Fosanta. I would go again if I could but I have appointments all morning."

"We should really be looking over test data from the weekend before the meeting."

"Your new sensors are not in this design and it will probably be the same as last weeks."

"You have a good point Seliha. I would if you do not mind join you Adastra as Kate seemed rather impressed."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"You look a little tired this morning Silana. Are you ok?"

"I feel fine Lianta. I am just a little apprehensive now about tonight as Olissa agreed."

"As long as we all do not admit to anything then we should be ok." The three of them hear Sam and Amistathya descend the stairs.

"Morning everyone." Sam sounded remarkably cheery as he approached Hymara, Lianta and Silana who were sat at the breakfast table.

"I hate to ask but how are you both?"

"Well apart from waking up with a damp pillow from a runny nose I could not feel better Silana." Sam gets breakfast out for himself and Amistathya. "I think I need to have a toilet roll with me from now on."

"I have explained carefully that we must offer each other the opportunity to take the mucus before blowing our nose. You have no need to worry as I think Sam wants the tissue to dry his nose."

"I do not like having a damp nose." Lianta and Hymara nod to Sam.

"I am not sure how much I would like that either Sam. I must inform you that Olissa has agreed to meet us this evening."

"Good, it should be a productive evening then." Sam gestures Amistathya to sit on his knee which she happily does so. Sam checks his Omni-tool for messages before settling down for breakfast. He finds three messages. "It seems a number of people have been contacting me."

_Sam,_

_What time would you like us to turn up this evening?"_

_Kate_

"I said seven did I not for Olissa to arrive?" Silana nods and Sam sends a reply back asking them to arrive for six thirty. He then reads the next message.

_Sam,_

_I hope you are settling in well. I see your shuttle is at your apartment. The council wish me to retrieve it as soon as is convenient. You will still have the skycar to get around in and things are progressing on the passenger transport. If you would be around this evening for me to collect it I would appreciate it._

_Usarta_

"I would see this as not going well but I do not really care at the moment."

"Why do you say that Sam?"

"Usarta wishes to collect the shuttle this evening Lianta. That and I can feel a headache starting to emerge."

"I am sure if she arrives when everyone else is here then it will be fine Sam."

"I will send a message back after we have finished. We will put some chairs and desks up today to stay a little out of your way. Silana you can join us or not, it is your choice."

"I think you may in need of some help Sam." He nods before reading the last message.

_Sam,_

_I hope your move was not stressful. You should have an idea by now what will happen over the coming week by now. I wish you luck in getting a positive outcome for all that has happened recently._

"I am getting very curious as to who it is who sends these unnamed messages."

"Sha'ira?"

"It could be but I really an not convinced Ami."

"Could you explain Sam?"

"A message wishing me luck in getting a positive outcome for all that has happened recently Lianta. I have had a couple of these supportive messages lately and while they could be from Sha'ira they feel as if they are worded incorrectly in some way."

"I would not worry too much Sam. You have more important things to think about at the moment."

"Putting up desks and chairs is more important Silana? I do however get your point that it is trivial."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra, Seliha and Fosanta exit the lift to see Sephaila waiting patiently for them. "Good morning. I received your message earlier Adastra. I guess you are both doing the same as Kate?"

"Yes. I am Fosanta. I am not sure how much you know?"

"My name is Sephaila in case you do not know. It is good to meet you Fosanta and Seliha." Seliha nods. "As I said to Kate, unfortunately you cannot go into the testing hall itself. You can however get a good view from the control room if you would like to follow me." The three of them follow Sephaila up the stairs. "Kate and Adastra have told me that this thruster is for an event at Sentix but not much more."

"We would know more after this evening as we are going to have a meeting about it. I personally have not seen hanger four yet so I do not know quite how large it is."

"It is difficult to describe the size without seeing it for yourself but it is bigger than you would think." Sephaila unlocks the control room door and gestures them all to enter. Fosanta and Seliha walk towards the window, Fosanta looking more shocked as Seliha's smile grows.

"This is one of the smaller ones?" Fosanta turning around to look at Adastra.

"It is, the bigger two will be almost double the size of that one Fosanta." She looks out of the window again and tries to gauge what double would be.

"Would that fit in the hall?"

"It will just Fosanta however the plasma jet will have to be shortened a lot by a barrier curtain. I personally would really like to see them in hanger four." Sephaila talking as she and Adastra take a seat at the control panels. "I am sure you know what to do Adastra." She nods with the same giddy enthusiasm as last time. The four of them hear a pop from inside the testing hall.

"What was that?"

"Just the plasma being created Seliha, it is normal for any engine it is just usually you cannot hear it inside the ship." Sephaila providing the answer as she turns off the lights in the hall.

"Oh. I like the glow."

"I do as well Seliha it looks rather delicate." Fosanta seemingly appreciating it as much as Seliha.

"I said you would like it Seliha, it looks a bit like an Ion thruster."

"I guess it has a ceramic plasma tube given we are waiting?"

"It has Fosanta, we could have used tungsten but the extra water splitting and power boards added too much to the weight. That does not really matter for this application but if they are to end up in a ship then it does."

"We are ok Adastra." Sephaila keeping an eye on the data on the screen in front of her. Fosanta and Seliha turn back to look out of the window as Adastra slowly ramps up the power, the blue hue becoming an elongated deep blue cone as it is increased.

"I do not think I have seen a thruster like this before, I never knew so much of the plasma could be seen."

"That would be because it is rarely properly dark when you see the ships Fosanta as spaceports tend to be illuminated at night."

"It does look quite wonderful though. I thank you for the opportunity."

"That is no problem Seliha. We are quite happy to show any employee what we make. I personally think they are almost works of art, especially if you get the opportunity to see one up close. The pipes and wires curving around each other are rather chaotic but inspiring to look at."

"I can see why you do this job then Sephaila." Fosanta noting as she and Seliha go to stand behind Adastra.

"I like it. We must continue though as we informed everyone this was to be complete by midday."

"Why do you have a time limit?"

"I am sure you will understand in a minute or two Fosanta. I am really surprised at the power use though but it seems to be delivering what you wanted Adastra."

"How much power as we will need to work out how much generation we will need?"

"Seventy nine Gigawatts Adastra which is remarkably excessive. Although it has given you an extra four percent thrust over the last design." Adastra nods as she notes that down in her Omni-tool. "I will start the tests again." The cone goes back to just a blue glow from the end of the thruster before the first bang seems to scare Fosanta a little. Seliha laughs.

"I am... I can feel the... moving." Fosanta getting drowned out by the noise from the thruster. A couple more bangs and the thruster then steadily goes back to how it was previously.

"The floor does shake a little Fosanta hence why we have to tell people as it could be a bit unnerving. I heard last time we tested a twenty metre design they could feel it in the Skylounge."

"Would that not damage the building?"

"No Fosanta as it was designed to withstand stresses from testing. Your test data looks much better than last time Adastra as those smaller boards are better."

"How much by Sephaila?"

"Well the old design would be practically doing nothing at sixteen kilohertz. The smaller boards and seemingly a better RF antenna will get you nearly twenty percent slew at sixteen kilohertz."

"I think that should be adequate for what we need them for Sephaila. I need to thank you for making those recommendations as they seem to have done what we needed."

"That is no problem Adastra. I will be waiting patently to see the twenty metre design." Sephaila shuts down the thruster seemingly happy with the results from one test.

"I hope you are not expecting it next week Sephaila as that design is going to take a while."

"Of course not Adastra."

"I guess we are done here as I could do with going over some test data from the weekend before a meeting this afternoon."

"You sound like you have a similar day to me Fosanta. I have a meeting with Usarta to explain how this test went this morning. You could come along too Adastra if you wish."

"It could be interesting to hear what she has to say." Sephaila nods.

"I am sure you can all find your own way out. I just need to ensure the plasma channel does not crack and the gas is vented before I leave." The three of them leave the control room.

"Well that was an experience and also scares me to think how big that hanger is."

"You said the plasma thrusters are more impressive and you were right. This could surprise quite a few people at the event."

"I am glad you both seem to have got something out of this morning. I am happy it is now a complete design that can be manufactured." The three of them get into the lift to head back to work.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I do apologise Silana if you do not wish to see us licking each others noses."

"I would rather I did not but I understand you need someone with you. I think it is lunch time as I am hungry." Sam looks to the four chairs and two desks they had put up in their other room.

"Just to connect things up later now. Ami are you happy to go for lunch."

"I am as it might distract me from my headache." Sam laughs as he puts is arm around her, knowing exactly what she means. The three of them exit the room and head to the kitchen.

"Hymara, Lianta." The two of them look over their shoulders from the sofa. "I need to say please do not take offence if I get overly grouchy as this headache is starting to get a bit tiring."

"Will you be ok for everyone coming tonight as you seem much less happy and it has only been about three hours?"

"If I keep going as I am I will probably feel awful but yes. This needs to be done whether I have a headache or not Hymara. Those interested individuals will not wait just because of me."

"I understand Sam." He nods before helping Amistathya and Silana make some food.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate puts her tray down on the table in the Skylounge. "You three look happy."

"That thruster is quite impressive as you said Kate. It is a bit of a pity you were not there during testing this morning."

"I am just hoping I can see one at some time Fosanta, but looking at the size of it on Friday was good enough for me."

"It is just to design the bigger version now."

"I need to tell you all that Sam wishes us to turn up at six thirty this evening."

"I think we may not get a lot done this evening."

"You may have a point Seliha. I however think Sam thinks those individuals need informing as early as possible." Kate's Omni-tool beeps to indicate a new message which she reads.

_Kate_

_I guess you are at the Skylounge. Olissa should be joining us this evening. Have a good day._

_Sam_

"I am not sure what to make of the brief sentences but Sam has said Olissa is to join us as well this evening."

"Can I see that message Kate?" She shows her Omni-tool to Fosanta who quickly reads the message. "Who am I to argue if Sam wishes this to be done this evening. As he said yesterday it was his idea originally."

"You have a point Fosanta and quite a bit of progress was made yesterday. We will see how it all goes." Adastra checks her Omni-tool. "I must leave unfortunately as I am going to have a talk with Usarta."

"We should really be leaving as well unfortunately Kate as we have a department meeting."

"That is ok. I will see you three this evening." The nod and leave Kate to admire the view out of the windows.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"You are just in time Adastra."

"I do apologise but it is easy to loose track of time when talking in the Skylounge." Sephaila laughs a little.

"It is Adastra." Usarta appears through the double doors into the corridor.

"I was not expecting you to be here Adastra. Do you need to talk about something?" Adastra looks to Sephaila.

"I thought she could sit in on our meeting Usarta." She seems to consider that for a few seconds before gesturing the two of them in to the room. Adastra takes a seat off to one side as Sephaila sits on the chair opposite Usarta.

"Before I begin Sephaila. Adastra, have you been in contact with Sam lately? It is just personal curiosity."

"He seemed happy enough when we met yesterday to sort some event things out. Was there a reason you are curious?" Adastra wondering if Armali had anything to do with the extra box.

"I was just wondering how he had found the move and if he was still happy with the decision. I have to pick up our shuttle from him this evening some time."

"He seems happy enough with everything Usarta. We were all invited to go around and have a look this evening."

"Good. If I do see you there I will not be staying long." Adastra nods. "I apologise for that deviation Sephaila. What were your thoughts on this mornings test?"

"The thruster uses over twice as much power as standard but if hydrogen splitting is taken into consideration then the overall efficiency is one percent better. This improves greatly if some thrusters on the ship are not used."

"Does that efficiency scale down?"

"There is no advantage on three metre designs and below but there is no reason not to use it other than it makes the thrusters more expensive. It would depend on the ship designer if they would be willing to pay a little more to save some space."

"I will have the accountants work out if it is worth doing so Sephaila. I assume the design was sound enough to produce?"

"It is and I am even starting to like the red and blue pipe work."

"I heard the maintenance workers thought it was a good idea. I will give the go ahead to have seven copies produced and put into storage for the moment." Adastra smiles as Sephaila nods. "I think that is about all I needed to talk about. Do you have anything else to ask?"

"Actually I was to ask Adastra, what happened with Sam? I heard he has made a few appearances but no one has seen him recently."

"Armali Council unfortunately chose to terminate his contract Sephaila after finding something. I must add it was in no way Sam's fault, it was something Armali were not comfortable with."

"I may as well say the full story here. Sam did some charity work and met someone who he liked and liked him. Armali did not like this, as the individual supposedly has a bad record for breaking servitude contracts."

"I have to say off the record that I think she is telling the truth when she says that she was tricked into breaking them. Unfortunately Armali trusts the official documentation more than the word of a servant Sephaila and that is why Sam had to go."

"I am not sure what I can say to that."

"We here on Illium feel the same Sephaila but unfortunately the management board on Thessia made the decision. We are currently negotiating a new job for him and hope to keep ties with him."

"Sephaila, Sam will be fine and will see this as a challenge of life. I think I can say that this event at Sentix is his idea and he is currently focussing on that more than anything at the moment."

"Actually that has reminded me of two things I must do before the end of the day. Do either of you two have any more questions?"

"I do not." Adastra shakes her head.

"I hope you both have a pleasant evening and I may see you later Adastra." Adastra nods as the two of them leave the room.

"Sephaila, I need to ask you to keep what you know about Sam to yourself as it will make his life more difficult if the media find out."

"I will Adastra as it sounds like he has had enough problems up to now."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I guess the management agreed to change the Nebula design then?" Adastra noticing that Seliha seemed happier than usual.

"I am just pleased that they have finally listened to reason." Seliha following Adastra into the shuttle.

"Well I am a little happier that Usarta has said that they are to make seven copies of the thruster. At least I know we will have some sound even if the two larger ones are not made."

"We both had a good day then."

"It would be even better if we get more things sorted out this evening Seliha."

"Do not hope too much."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"You seem happier now than you were before Fosanta?" Kate asking as she gets into the shuttle and closes the door.

"We just got a bit of a victory over the accountants and management. They have finally agreed to do a limited test of the new version of the nebula bioamp and it seems to have done wonders for morale in the department."

"I can imagine."

"How was your afternoon Kate?"

"I was just filling paperwork out from this mornings interviews. It is not that difficult but it is a bit monotonous." Kate looks out of the window for a little while watching the scenery go past. "You will like Sam and Athya's apartment Fosanta."

"It is more how they are that is a little worrying. Your message you got at lunch time did not sound convincing that everything was ok."

"I agree with that but it might have just been a bad night or something had annoyed him Fosanta. We are not likely to know until we get there."

"I agree with that."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam and Amistathya are sat together on one of the single seats after having food. Neither of them look in a particularly good way. "Silana, can you, welcome everyone in, when they arrive?" Sam stating rather deliberately as if thinking hurt.

"I will but are you really sure about this Sam? I am only worried about how you both look."

"As long, as no one asks, difficult questions. I will be fine." Amistathya nods to Silana.

"I think Hymara and Lianta are finding this as difficult as I am. I do not blame them wishing to put their desk up and set-up the console in their room."

"Could you kindly, be a little quieter?" Amistathya seemingly just as bad as Sam. Silana takes a seat and waits for the group to arrive which luckily is not too long later. She jumps up and opens the door to greet them all.

"Hello everyone. If you could keep your voices down a little I think Sam and Athya would appreciate it." Kate heads straight for the seats as everyone else stops to admire the view from the window and the apartment first.

"I apologise but I am curious. How are you both?" Kate taking a seat on the sofa nearest to the chair Sam and Amistathya are on.

"That can wait, until everyone is, listening." Kate seemingly a little worried at the response and how the two of them look. Silana goes to get Hymara and Lianta.

"You both look awful." Selayla adding her surprise that they seemed perfectly well yesterday. Sam and Amistathya nod.

"Could everyone, take a seat." Everyone does so, some taking the chairs from around the kitchen table. "I apologise, if I am, grouchy, but feeling, like I do is not, pleasant. Could someone, explain what is, happening, for me?"

"Sam said yesterday he had a box with several pens in, some with coloured lids, the rest not. I hope that explains everything as it is wrong of them to admit anything." Hymara sticking to the agreed story.

"While knowing why you look half dead is important I must say your body is rather wonderful Athya." Imphaya impressed enough to make a comment.

"I, appreciate that." Amistathya places her head on Sam's shoulder.

"Did you not know about this before it happened Lianta?"

"There was a box that was labelled for Sam and Athya. I did look but what would you have done once you had the box inside the apartment?" Kalawa seemed stumped. "It is not exactly the easiest situation to deal with."

"How bad is it Sam?"

"I will describe it, another day, Adastra." She nods having the same saddened expression as everyone else, even Seliha. "What about, the event?"

"We discussed this last night with the list in front of us and we have two ideas. We however thought given our list that a music event, from a few live groups and a couple of popular DJ's would be a good idea. A mix for everyone's tastes so to speak." Fosanta delivering the idea to everyone.

"So, music festival?"

"Sort of Sam. We thought we could ask each of them to do something different that people would not have heard or even seen before. We could quite easily have visual elements such as dancers to go along with everything else."

"Sounds good." The door chime sounds and Silana gets up to answer it.

"Hello Silana. I did not think you were the yellow underwear kind of person?" Olissa a little confused.

"I am not but I will say more later. Hello again Usarta." She nods. "Everyone is waiting for you." Silana gestures the two of them in. Usarta is quicker to the group but does a bit of a double take as she goes past Sam and Amistathya's chair to a spare seat next to Seliha.

"I guess, you are here, for the shuttle?" Sam not quite remembering what was in the message this morning.

"I am and I will not ask what is happening with you both." The two of them nod.

"Everyone else who does not know this is Olissa." Silana letting Olissa take her seat as she gets another from the table.

"Have you two not been well for a while?"

"I asked, Silana, to message you, so you two, can discuss, event things. I was not, intending this, to be, about us."

"I do not quite understand the purpose of the visit then."

"Since it is to be on your companies premises Olissa, certain things cannot really be done without informing you at least. I think Sam wished to bring you here to discuss a suggestion he made to Silana yesterday." Adastra looks to Sam who nods.

"What kind of suggestion?" Olissa seemed uncomfortable with not knowing everything that is happening.

"I think you would rather talk in private Olissa. Would you like to follow me?"

"I will." She follows Silana into the room they were building the chairs and desks in this morning.

"That could have, been worse." Amistathya seemed to be trying to reassure Sam more than informing everyone else.

"Usarta. How many, boxes did you, leave for us, on Saturday?"

"Eighteen Sam. Why do you ask?"

"I have no idea, it felt right to ask. What else, do you wish, to discuss?"

"Well I am sure Adastra has probably told you that the thruster test this morning was successful and seven more are to be produced over the next few weeks."

"We had not, discussed that yet. I am glad, to hear it, however."

"I also came to inform you the deeds to the apartment have been transferred to your profile. How can you go from being well to looking like that in a day Sam?"

"Something about, containers and, coloured tops. I am not sure, what though." Usarta just shakes her head in a disapproving manner.

"This would be why the board had questions about your decision making Sam. Where did you get them from though?"

"I do not know."

"How can you not know? I know it was not us that delivered them as I watched the shuttle being loaded and there was only eighteen boxes put on."

"Sam is correct in that we do not know Usarta. I can see you are curious so I will go and see if I can get hold of any security footage of them being delivered. I should not be long." Hymara waves Lianta to join her and the two of them leave to go downstairs.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I have a number of questions. My biggest is why does Amistathya have tattoos as they are not exactly subtle?"

"I hope you do not mind if I speak freely?"

"I would like you to answer the questions Silana. How you do so is unimportant at the moment." She nods.

"The way you phrase your question could have been better, but they are not tattoos. Yes I was shocked as well however I think she likes them."

"So she is like Adastra?"

"I would guess so. As you know Adastra is not exactly fond of people seeing her markings so I would not know."

"Unfortunately, the state Sam is in, I am going to have to ask more questions as I am weary of leaving you here. First you said you were not a yellow underwear person yet you are walking around in them. Why?"

"It was part of the agreement I made with Sam after I asked to be treated the same as Athya."

"Agreement?"

"Yes. Basically the bright underwear is a reminder that I am to treat breaking any request as equal to breaking a contract. For this extra effort we get much more in the way of freedom which is rather nice."

"So Sam is not keeping an eye on you all the time?"

"No. Sam trusts us to inform him of any mistakes we make. He therefore can mostly treat us as you would a friend while still retaining authority."

"I am not convinced you can trust people."

"That is your decision to make but it is possible to trust some individuals."

"Do you think Athya is one then?"

"Sam is the only person she really seems to trust and by trust I mean with anything. I think I know why she is so defensive with others but saying what would ruin the growing trust between us."

"You are not convincing me either of them are worth it Silana."

"Sam showed he can pull people together yesterday afternoon when he worked with everyone sat outside to decide on quite a few different parts of the event. I guess speaking to, possibly Kate, may be an idea if you want more convincing." Olissa nods. "I know very little about Athya, and even Sam has even admitted to not knowing everything. She is a rather quiet individual who would rather use actions than words but she is friendly."

"I will tell you where we stand as a company on this decision Silana. Sam seemingly had a rather good contract at Armali who are making it difficult for us to offer less. However Amistathya makes him more of a liability whether he likes it or not. He might be willing to negotiate something if Amistathya gets a job. However, given the state the two of them are in at the moment, I doubt that will be happening soon. We were keen on getting Sam as soon as possible but I am starting to have doubts."

"Bring a few of the others in here if you wish to find more out as they have known Sam and by extension Athya longer than I have. Sam seems closer to Adastra than anyone else so she could be worth talking to as well. About their condition at the moment, I assume you may have an idea what it is?"

"No Silana. Any number of things could have caused them to be ill."

"While I have seen no proof of this, Sam mentioned he had got a box of pens some of which had coloured tops, the rest did not. Where from and from who, I do not know. As you know if you are given the resources for a ritual by another Asari then it is impolite to turn it down."

"That makes me question Sam about as much as I am Amistathya now. Do you know roughly when this started?"

"Yesterday morning I would guess as if it was Saturday evening they would not have slept well last night."

"So Thursday afternoon would probably be the earliest I could see them feeling a bit better." Olissa thinks for a few moments. "Ok I will have a talk with some of the others in here shortly. Sam mentioned something about the event?"

"Yes. Yesterday he went around and basically asked what each of us would be willing to help with. I would be your servant again by then so I do not know if you would allow what Sam suggested."

"It would depend on the suggestion Silana."

"He was a little reluctant it seems to use servants for any of the work but he knows how valuable they are. He was wondering if either Armali or Sentix would offer servants to help with checking people in, serving drinks, transportation down the corridor and other similar jobs?"

"I can only guarantee perhaps a hundred or so Silana as it depends how busy we are and what day the event is to be on."

"The event is to be on the Saturday."

"That would be better but I would have to see what was happening. This is not relating to you really though is it?"

"No. Sam wondered if I would be able to manage the group or one of the groups. He said given I am also a servant they may see me as more friendly and he wants someone he can trust."

"How many people are to be at the event?"

"Two hundred and fifty thousand is the hopeful target." Olissa seems a little surprised at that.

"Ok. Assume that it takes a minute per person to check each individual in. Even with a thousand desks it would take over four hours to check everyone in."

"I will have a discussion with Sam to see if he has an idea to reduce the time."

"That would certainly be better as intermixing of servants would get confusing from an ownership and leadership point of view. I can see why Sam asked me to come around now as this is certainly bringing home the size of this event. I will discuss this when I next visit. I would like to talk with Kate and Adastra if you could get them." Silana stands up and leaves the room.

"It seems Olissa would quite like to see you Kate and Adastra." The two of them stand up and approach Silana. "She is in the room on the left and there are seats in there now Kate." The two of them nod and enter as Silana goes back to the seating. "That was tough as I have a conflict of interest."

"I guess Olissa talked to you about Sam and Amistathya then?"

"Yes Fosanta. She really did not think much to the pens Sam, but she did not seem intent on informing the authorities, so I guess that is a bit of good news." Sam nods. "She seems to be wondering if you would sacrifice some of the bonuses you got with Armali in exchange for getting Athya a job."

"No. They are not, in a, position to dictate, terms Silana. It is, annoying, that I cannot speak, at length, with her today."

"She implied she may come back, probably Thursday afternoon or Friday Sam." Sam nods as Hymara and Lianta come back in instantly gaining Usarta's attention.

"I do not think I have met someone so friendly and yet so difficult. She would not let us take the video evidence and she would only let us look at it after she had checked we were contracted to protect Sam." The two of them sit back down where they were previously.

"I thought people would know that by now Lianta?"

"Evidently not Swathana. Anyway the pilot removed twenty packages from the shuttle. I apologise if that was not what you wished to hear Usarta."

"Usarta, please do not, investigate."

"Amistathya, I cannot have items, such as the ones mentioned, working their way through our storage bays, warehouses and transport routes. It is even more important if they came from Thessia and not here on Illium. Could I ask what else was in the box or was it just the pens?"

"Silana, could you, bring the box, here."

"Silana, Sam does not seem to know the problems this could cause. Please do not."

"I apologise Hymara." She turns around and heads to the storage room and is only a few seconds before she brings a box out and places it on the floor in the middle of everyone. "This is the box Usarta." She nods and opens it to see the three left over boxes of bathroom items, five rolls of toilet paper and the pen box. She opens the top of the box before going a little grey. "Ok, I appreciate you letting me look. If you could take it back Silana it would be appreciated." She closes the top of the box and does so.

"You sound like you are trying to hide your shock and not doing a good job?"

"I thought I had an idea where the leak may have been but I was wrong in my assumption. I will take everyone's advice and keep this quiet."

"Why the sudden change?" Usarta seems reluctant to respond to Seliha's question.

"I will say, in a few, days, Seliha." She nods to Sam but seems overly eager to find out now.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I do apologise for asking you two to meet me. I would appreciate you answering a few questions that I have." The two of them take a seat.

"Let me guess, it is because you are wondering whether to employee Sam?"

"As you may know Kate, he wishes Amistathya to be employed with him which makes a straight forward decision more difficult. I would appreciate either of you describing what has happened since his arrival."

"I will take this for the moment Kate." She nods. "Sam worked three days while he was at Armali; the rest of the time was spent trying to help Amistathya."

"So he spent more time away from work than working?"

"The charity work he did helped Amistathya and is also to help Galactic Acceptance with the event. Those few days may not have helped Armali directly but will likely mean something to a lot of people. Armali have since got a new thruster design out of it all as well."

"Galactic Acceptance has no centre on the Citadel so why did they go there not long ago?"

"Amistathya as you may know is on the dangerous list, as is Sam now. He needed some time to try and get over melding with her. It also brought the two of them so much closer that Amistathya was almost like a different individual when she arrived back."

"This ends up getting silly but that following weekend Fosanta decided to find it funny to trick me into being Sam's servant."

"I get the feeling you are missing out some details Kate but for the sake of time I will not ask. I did hear from Usarta that no one was actually with you that weekend although you did mention to Usarta that you were treated well."

"I think the word I used was reasonably. It was a good experience if rather tough. That weekend was the first time I had really had any real interaction with Athya. She is attentive and has a sharp mind but needs care as she has a lot of issues from her past. If Sam was kept as her owner and no one touches her then she would be more than happy."

"Do you have anything to add Adastra?"

"Unfortunately not as I have not been with Amistathya on my own." Olissa nods.

"Silana said the marks on her arms and legs were not tattoos. Do you know if that is true?"

"I am sure that Kate does."

"Ask Athya and Sam Olissa but I cannot see how they could be tattoos with all she has been through."

"I have also heard enough to convince me as well Olissa. I must also point out that Asari who get tattoos rarely get them on their hands by choice. I know how bad just having a few marks on them can be let alone markings like Amistathya's. Which makes me question why you are asking Olissa?"

"We do not allow tattoos unless they are small markings on the face which compliment their natural ones."

"I think you would have to speak to Sam and Athya about this Olissa as it really has nothing to do with us."

"I will Kate. I appreciate your time." Kate and Adastra nod before the three of them leave the room to head back to the seating.

"That, was a long, conversation." Amistathya trying to ask what Sam would probably wish to.

"I apologise Amistathya but you know there is more happening than just the event. I discussed a few things with Silana which I am sure she will cover with you all. I have a number of things I need to work out before we next meet. I do hope no one minds if I leave now?"

"Have a, pleasant, week." She nods to Sam.

"I do not think anyone minds you leaving Olissa. It has been good to meet you and we hope to talk again sometime."

"I feel the same Adastra. I hope next time we meet can be more productive." Most of the group nods and Olissa exits the apartment.

"Two things. Olissa is going, to be a pain. I also, should mention, two, not four."

"What do you mean by that?" Seliha seemed to be not too happy being left in the dark.

"I may as well say now that Sam has. It was two containers and not four." Hymara sounding a little frustrated at Sam not heeding her advice.

"That is why I was shocked earlier Seliha. I have heard rumours of an industrial chemicals company here on Illium are making the four container variant in traditional fashion hence not according to Illium law. That is why I thought I might have an idea where it had come from."

"Can someone explain the difference to me as Fosanta only mentioned four containers?"

"Four is, safer than two, Kate." Amistathya answering when everyone else was a little confused in their shock.

"Are we talking a lot?"

"About, fifty times."

"So that would be about half a percent chance?" Sam and Amistathya nod to Kate. "I guess given the silence this is a bigger issue than the four container version?"

"I should not say this, and I guess Sam and Amistathya have realised but I feel I should mention it anyway. Using pain killers is the worst decision you can make. The problem is that they are so common these days people will instinctively reach for them. Not knowing the amount of pain means a much greater chance of death. Not only that but the pain killers interact with the poisons making them act in strange ways, even going as far as inhibiting them combining in some cases. At least with the four container set you just keep taking the cure until you are better and it is fairly safe to use pain killers if you need to. It does entirely defeat the intended purpose for the ritual but it will not kill you or cause lasting side effects if you do so."

"So half a percent was the amount before pain killers became common?"

"It could have been less than half a percent but we had painkillers then as well Kate. It is the type of pain killers which causes the problem as the old style ones could cause kidney damage with regular use but they had only a very mild interaction with the poisons. This meant it just took an extra day or two to get to get better but without having much pain. I would assume the death rate would be nearer one or two percent now with the newer and supposedly safer pain killers."

"Could I ask how you know all of this Usarta?"

"I did a doctorate in chemical engineering for biological applications nearly five hundred years ago Yasmari. I extensively studied this exact poison interaction before it was made illegal in council space only twenty or so years later. This is why I refused to investigate once I knew it was the two container variant as the authorities would know I could make it." Yasmari nods. "Sam, Amistathya. If you have a shower or a bath, do not use soap products. It will not harm you if you do but some will make the pain last longer than it would otherwise."

"Thank you, Usarta. Any more, advice?"

"Meld with Sam Amistathya. Mental comfort would likely make you both happier. Also try to find something fun to do to help pass the time. My only important piece of advice though is not to sleep." Amistathya nods.

"Aww but, sleep sounds, good." Sam just about manages a small laugh which cheers Amistathya up a little.

"I best be leaving as I was intending this to be a quick visit to pick the shuttle up. I will see about arranging to meet you again towards the end of the week Sam." He nods. "Have a good night everyone." The group nod and Usarta leaves the apartment to take the shuttle.

"Do you think it was Usarta who sent the pens Sam?"

"No, Selayla. She did not know, Ami, well enough."

"Can you describe how you feel Sam?"

"First time melding. Also, you still, owe me." Adastra laughs at that.

"I cannot imagine being in that much pain and being able to make jokes Sam. I am just happy it is you and not me although I do wish you both well." Sam and Amistathya nod.

"What does Sam mean by you owe him Kate?"

"I might have said I was never going to meld again after the first time Swathana. I was adamant I was not going to have that pain again. Fosanta managed to convince me to a couple of days later and so Sam won his bet that I would." Swathana nods as Kate looks to Fosanta with a smile.

"I think we best be leaving you all as we unfortunately have work tomorrow."

"Adastra does have a point as it is getting late. I will give the interested individuals a rough outline of what we have planned Sam so they can either agree, or make suggestions to us, or both."

"I, like that, idea, Fosanta. Thank you, everyone, for being, understanding, about our, position."

"No problem Sam. You would have done the same for us." He nods to Kate as the ten of them get up. Each say goodbye before they all leave.

"I hope neither of you mind if we use the bathroom after having a drink?" Lianta gets three shaking heads so she goes to the kitchen area where Hymara is already making their drinks.

"I will talk when you two have finished." Silana feeling a little like she is talking to herself as the two of them mop each others noses. She walks over to the kitchen. "I said to Olissa no more than Sam said to everyone yesterday Hymara. I hope that was the right thing to do."

"It would have been better if she had not have seen either of them today, but saying the bare minimum would have made her think it was the four container variant. I suppose it could have gone worse but I did note that neither Olissa nor Usarta made a comment to Amistathya about her markings."

"I feel Olissa struggled to comprehend they were not tattoos. Usarta seemed more worried about their condition so she may make a comment next time, when they are better." Hymara and Lianta nod.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Could I ask why you did not mention that there are two variants of the ritual Fosanta?" Kate seemingly finding that getting into bed brings out the questions.

"I only know about it from reading an old text book Kate. I have never come across it myself in the real world and I have not heard it ever being discussed before. I thought everyone avoided it because of the drawbacks. I do apologise for not making you aware there was a second variant."

"I understand it is not common, you do not need to be apologetic as I was only curious. Have a good sleep."

"You too as it has been a busy day today." Kate nods and Fosanta turns off the light.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**Next chapter will be of a larger length to attempt to move through the days much more quickly, three at once is the target. I will try to get it done for the 22nd of September but I can not be certain.**

**Until the next update, thanks for reading and please keep your eye open for the next update as it may not be next Saturday.**


	47. Chapter 47 : Midweek Madness

**Chapter 47 - Midweek Madness**

* * *

><p><strong>Tuesday 14th February 2017<strong>

"I, think, I might be, insane, after all this. Not being, able to, concentrate, on anything, makes the time, feel, very slow." Sam thinking the last few hours have felt like a few weeks, especially so since they have been alone with no one else around.

"Just know, there will be, an end, eventually."

"I just, wish it was, soon." Amistathya snuggles up to Sam a little more as the two of them sit on the sofa looking out of the window. The starry sky gradually turning more of a dark blue as twilight approaches.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Good morning." Sam hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, glad that finally there will be someone else around who can talk. Silana walks around and takes a seat. "I guess neither of you have slept?" The two of them shake their heads. "I would ask how you are both feeling but I guess tired and not well would be the answer."

"Yes. It was a, nice sunrise, though." Sam trying to find something good in all of this.

"Did you follow Usarta's advice?"

"It was, difficult for me." Silana looks confused. "I, struggle to meld, even normally."

"I am not sure you are making much sense to me Athya. Please do not bother to try and explain for now." She nods with an attempt at a smile. "I guess you would both like some breakfast?"

"We only, ate, not long ago. A drink, would be, appreciated, however." Silana nods to Sam before leaving to have her own breakfast and make three drinks.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate walks into the waiting area with a little annoyance as this was looking like a bribe again. "Evanthia?" A basically dressed and slightly bruised Asari stands before walking over to Kate. "Good morning. I am Kate and welcome to Armali Illium. Would you follow me?" The Asari nods and follows Kate into a side room. "Please do take a seat." Kate gestures to the comfy seat opposite where she was about to sit. "I am going to state that I am confused as usually when individuals from dubious companies send someone else it is usually in the form of a bribe." Evanthia just looks a little frightened and sullen at Kate as if to suggest her to go on. "I hope you know why you are here and it would be because Carmitha wishes to extend her licence to use Armali Councils propulsion products. Could I ask why you are here instead Evanthia?"

"Armali needs an individual to be here at least on their behalf to allow the verification to succeed."

"I understand that but given the bruising on the ends of your folds and a small one on your neck you do not fill me with confidence that you are here because you volunteered."

"I was volunteered given I am a servant. All Carmitha wishes is to have her licence extended and given she has better things to do than come here she sent me."

"Are you allowed to say what better things she has to do?"

"I do not know."

"I hope you do not mind Evanthia but please excuse me for a couple of minutes as I need to speak with someone." She nods and Kate walks out of the room and into the hallway to head to Isphara's room. Kate knocks on the door and a pleasant Asari opens the door.

"Hello Kate. Could I help you with something?"

"I was just wondering if I can allow an individual to send a servant against their wishes to come to verification on their behalf?"

"Typically yes but how do you know it is against their wishes?"

"She has bruising on her folds and neck, does not seem at all happy and seems to be avoiding answering questions. I was just wondering if she could be classed as a suitable candidate to appear on their owners behalf?"

"I guess you are asking because the individual is a borderline case?"

"Owner of nocturnal wishes. I guess you have heard of her and the company before?"

"I have unfortunately. You may note that in our system Carmitha is listed as several company owners each of which typically has subsidiaries. We provide contracts on a subsidiary basis that are non-transferrable to company owners. This is an attempt to stop people such as her skirting around our system. I would guess the servant is from one of these other companies and not nocturnal wishes."

"That does not really help me Isphara."

"Apologies Kate. If she is from an alternate company then technically she cannot be classed as a valid representative. I would be weary of making a decision to not agree to the contract without getting the servant to talk given her bruising. Some owners are not averse to using servants as bargaining elements."

"By that you mean what Isphara?"

"The owner may use your empathy to get what they want. I know it sounds harsh but this is not something we can have being allowed."

"I think I understand. Thank you Isphara."

"No problem Kate." Kate nods and makes her way back to the interview room to find Evanthia still sat down, seemingly pondering something nervously.

"I do apologise for that Evanthia but I needed second opinions." Kate opens up the console on the desk and runs a quick check to see who Evanthia's owner really is. "Can I trust you to be honest and truthful with all your answers Evanthia as some individuals I see end up lying."

"Yes Kate."

"So are nocturnal desires really your owner?"

"Of course, I have been with them for nearly three years." Kate checks her screen and sees that legally she is owned by Phanus Holdings but has only been with them for a week.

"I apologise if this is personal and intrusive but have you been treated differently in the last week in any way?"

"I have been on placement away from the company as this logistics company needed more night time workers for a couple of weeks."

"You look as if you would retract that answer if you could Evanthia. I already knew that you were at an alternate company." Evanthia just looks like a grey cloud is hanging over her. "You really do not seem happy about being here. Given that, your earlier answer of avoidance and your bruising makes me think you really are here against your will. Is that the case?"

"It is not my will Kate."

"So if I said I cannot give Carmitha her licence on the grounds that you are not a suitable candidate to appear at an interview on her behalf what would you feel about that?"

"That I have no ill feelings towards you."

"You mean you will be punished for not achieving your goal but you do not blame me for making that decision?"

"I mean I may not live past the end of this month, not just punished Kate. I would rather Carmitha did not get what she wants than for you to go against Armali's rules just because of me. Saving me will just cause me more pain. Please make the right decision."

"I will send the rejection notification to her tomorrow Evanthia. Just promise me that you will do everything that you can to get away before they arrive."

"I wish the goddess gives you a long and happy life Kate. I must however leave but thank you for doing the right thing."

"I am not sure what to say Evanthia other than I wish you every bit of luck that you can find happiness somewhere." She gets up and nods before exiting the room. Kate puts her head in her hands once the door closes.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Fosanta and Seliha quickly find Kate in the Skylounge. "I was going to ask if you have had a good morning Kate but your expression gives me my answer."

"What is wrong?" Fosanta putting her arm around her as Seliha asks the question.

"I had an interview with a servant of a rich individual this morning. It turns out that the rules forbid me to give her the licence but that she had said to the servant to get the licence or in her words that she may not live past the end of the month."

"Did you agree to the licence request then?"

"No."

"Can I ask why?" Fosanta thinking that was awfully unlike Kate.

"I felt sorry for her given the bruises on her folds and neck. She wanted me to make the right decision but I feel awful about valuing someone's life at less than a document."

"I would ask for the afternoon off. I would feel as bad about making a similar decision." Kate nods to Seliha as Adastra arrives and takes a seat.

"Should I ask what has happened?"

"Kate had a difficult decision to make this morning."

"It was a decision between the owner getting the licence and the servant being treated badly or the owner not getting the licence and the servant getting hurt possibly killed but wanting that option as she did not want to go on."

"My sympathies Kate. Those are two options you really do not want to ever be stuck with."

"I hope none of you mind if I leave and go back to the house."

"I will come with you Kate. You need someone to talk to and you may as well have someone to take you back as well." Kate nods. "I will talk to you both this evening." Adastra and Seliha nod as Fosanta and Kate make their way to the administration building.

"I can see this affecting Kate as she was never much of a fan of servants to begin with."

"I wonder if Silana would talk to Kate for a little while? It may help her a little."

"You make a good point Seliha. I will send a message to Sam in the hope he reads it and passes it along." Seliha nods as Adastra opens her Omni-tool.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

_Sam,_

_I hope you are well enough to read this. Would you at all mind if Silana had a talk to Kate at the house as she has had a difficult day. I hope that you and Athya get well soon._

_Adastra_

"Silana." She gets up from the seat in the kitchen area and walks towards Sam and Athya who were lying together on the sofa. Sam gestures her to read the message.

"Do you want me to leave you?"

"Yes. There is, always, the other two."

"Do you need anything before I leave?" The two of them shake their heads. "I will try not to be too long." Silana goes to inform Hymara and Lianta what is to happen before herself and Hymara leave to head to the house leaving Lianta to look after Sam and Amistathya.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I have a drink for you Kate." She wipes her eyes as Fosanta sits back down next to her.

"I have never felt this bad my whole life and saying goodbye to my dad was the toughest thing I could ever imagine."

"You knew that your dad would still be reasonably safe Kate. It is the fact you know Evanthia is going to be hurt that makes the difference." Kate nods as she looks into the cup. The door chime goes which is a little unexpected. "I will get it." Fosanta gets up and walks over to the door. "Oh, hello Silana. Can I ask why you are here?"

"Adastra said that Kate may like to talk to me as she has had a difficult day. I am not sure quite what she meant."

"Come in." Silana follows Fosanta to the seating area and takes a seat opposite Kate and Fosanta. "I guess you would like me to explain Kate?" She nods before taking a sip of her drink. "Kate interviewed a servant this morning. I get the impression that is not uncommon but the fact this one had bruised folds and a bruise on her neck gave her a little concern. She found out that Armali rules disallow Kate to give her owner a licence but the fact that disallowing the licence would get the servant hurt or killed."

"I can see why Adastra perhaps wanted me here then Fosanta. I hope you did not give the owner the license Kate." She shakes her head. "I am in one way relieved and in another deeply saddened. Owners should not get away with this treatment and most certainly should not use servants as emotional leverage to get what they want. Can I ask when you say bruised folds were they in bands or a single bruise?"

"Single, why do you ask?"

"I should not say this but since an Asari's folds have additional nerves to help with melding clamping them can cause rather severe pain and disorientates the brain. I guess the individual you interviewed said the same as I did that you should not give her the licence?" Kate nods. "I know it hurts to make that decision Kate but just know that it was the right one."

"I just feel upset that I have just treated someone as essentially disposable."

"You have done nothing other than your job Kate. If these owners would act like responsible owners then this would never happen in the first place. Just know it is not your fault at all."

"It still does not make me feel any better about the situation."

"I understand that. If you really wanted to make a difference to an individual then taking them as your servant would likely get you their eternal gratitude, especially if it is from a difficult owner. If you want to try and make a wider difference then I guess supporting a charity such as Galactic Acceptance in opening a centre on Illium would maybe help a few lucky servants. The use and abuse of servants will keep happening though Kate and is something you need to accept if you wish to be happy."

"Would you give Sam your eternal gratitude if he was your owner?"

"I am after getting used to the agreement more finding him to be a very pleasant owner Kate. I am sure any mistreated servant would be willing to give everything for such an opportunity with such an owner as I believe Athya knows all too well. Sentix treat me reasonably and so I feel happy enough if I have to stay with them."

"I am sure you are right about Amistathya feeling she owes Sam. I can still see the delight in her face every time she sees him. On that note how are they today?"

"Unwell Fosanta but I must say that they are attentive to each other and I see no reason why they should not get better soon."

"It is good to hear that Silana. I guess we should let you get back to them."

"I am sure they would appreciate having someone to talk to or at least talk to them so I will speak to you both again. Kate, it is not your fault. Walk in tomorrow knowing you did the best job you could do which is better than that owner."

"I will try Silana. Thank you for coming at least." Silana bows her head before making her way out of the house to meet up with Hymara.

"Do you feel a little happier now Kate?"

"Not really but it has made me a little more comfortable which I guess is all I can realistically expect."

"Would a meld take your fancy or are you not in the mood?"

"I would rather just have a shower with you this evening if you do not mind. Something comforting but not too over the top so I feel guilty."

"I understand Kate."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"What happened?" Sam shouting from the sofa as he hears the door close.

"I know you like having someone to talk to Sam but I was not away too long. Kate had a bit of a difficult decision to make and I think Adastra thought she needed a bit of support." Silana sits down in the chair. "Kate had ended up interviewing a servant for an owner she could not give a licence to. She was aware the servant was to be hurt or worse if she did not agree."

"I hate, owners, like that."

"I have had a few who have lacked empathy as well Athya. I was glad that Kate made the right choice not to be manipulated by the owner."

"Agreed."

"Would you both like something to eat?" The two of them nod.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"How are you Kate? I guess Silana has been to have a talk."

"I am getting over it Adastra. Silana did make me feel a little better."

"I think Seliha just wanted you to have another servants perspective Kate."

"I did as I am all too well aware of how some are treated."

"I just wish to put what has happened behind me now. I will make some food."

"I think we will all help Kate." She nods to Fosanta and the four of them walk into the kitchen.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Are you so unhappy at me drying you Kate?"

"No. I apologise Fosanta. I just feel a little depressed this evening." Fosanta begins drying Kate's back.

"I think you are letting your mind wander." Fosanta gets her towel in a position so that she pulls either end it pulls Kate's arms behind her back. "I think you need a little help." She pulls the towels ends before tying them.

"I am not really in the mood." Fosanta hugging Kate from behind. "Fosanta, while I appreciate the hug it is not exactly helping." Fosanta lets Kate go.

"I know it has been a tough day for you Kate. You said you wanted to forget about it so why are you still thinking about it? All I am trying to do is give you a hug to make you feel a little better as it makes me feel unhappy as well."

"Why do you feel unhappy?"

"I can tell if you are close to me and a basic idea on how you are feeling. The fact you seem to want comfort but will not let me give you it makes me unhappy Kate."

"I am sorry Fosanta. I did not intend to make you unhappy. I would ask what would make you happier but I am not use you would have much appreciation for unenthusiastic expressions."

"Would you be ok with me snuggling up to you in bed Kate? Also if you could give me a little appreciation tomorrow it would make me much happier."

"Yes and I will think of something tomorrow but I would just like some sleep now." Fosanta takes the towel off Kate's arms and the two of them walk through to the bedroom before getting into bed. Fosanta shuffles across to be nearer Kate and brings some of the duvet with her.

"I do hope you sleep well Kate."

"You too." Fosanta strokes Kate's head before turning the light off.

* * *

><p><strong>Wednesday 15th February 2017<strong>

"Did you both sleep ok last night?"

"I do not think we were too bad once Kate had settled Adastra. What are your plans for the day?"

"I am still battling with the thruster design unfortunately. Thya and Samalya are being very supportive to me and helping out but I am not confident in getting this design finished in time."

"I wonder how Sam and Athya are?"

"I guess fine."

"You could be right Seliha but I will send a message anyway." Fosanta opens her Omni-tool.

"We do not have too long as unfortunately I have to get in early today as Usarta could not change today's early appointment."

"You will be fine Kate." Adastra noting her slight nervousness.

"I realise it was a one off and Usarta was happy I stuck to the rules. I just wish I had another option. We should leave so I have time to calm myself."

"I will see you both later." Adastra and Seliha nod as Kate and Fosanta leave.

"I think Kate is still trying to settle down as she still seems to see everything as a little strange."

"I agree. I think we should be thinking of leaving as well." Adastra and Seliha quickly wash up their breakfast dishes before following Kate and Fosanta to Armali.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"How are you all this morning?" Hymara walking down the stairs to see Silana sitting next to Sam and Amistathya. Lianta was not too far behind.

"I am a little tried but not too bad Hymara."

"Tired. Although, I feel a little, better."

"I am quite glad to hear that, for both of you." Lianta walking to the kitchen area while she talks. Amistathya gets up from leaning on Sam to go upstairs.

"I guess it is just another day of sitting around?"

"Has Olissa, said anything?" Sam deciding perhaps now would be a good time to eat with everyone else.

"No Sam." Sam nods as he takes a seat at the table, yawning as he goes. Amistathya carefully makes her way back down the stairs. Sam's Omni-tool beeps. He carefully opens the message he has just received.

_Sam,_

_We were discussing we should see you at some time. If you could give us an idea when it would be convenient then we would appreciate it._

_Fosanta_

"Great. I know, people are worried. They really, do not need to be."

"Sam, we are all a little apprehensive. I have not slept too well and I feel Hymara and Lianta have tried to avoid seeing you in that state as it hurts them." Silana looks to Hymara and Lianta who reluctantly nod. "I mean I have only known you five days and I feel like I do. What about Kate or Adastra? Especially after Kate's not great day yesterday as well."

"I apologise." Sam opens his Omni-tool and sends a reply back.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"What was the call about Hymara?" Lianta a little curious.

"A delivery from Atansys Chemical Research with an included datapad."

"Could you look?" Amistathya gesturing to Silana who nods and takes the datapad from Hymara and turns it on.

_The box contains most of Amistathya's items she left in her room upon her unapproved departure._

_Atansys Chemical Research_

"That is the most useless explanation and is also rather odd in that Atansys sound annoyed with your departure Athya and yet they wish to give you your belongings back."

"If you would, kindly, put the box, in the, storage room." She seemed to want to keep talking but decided that was enough information to get what she needed across to Silana who takes the box and puts it with the others.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra is looking over the gas injector design when she receives notification of a new message. She duly opens it.

_Adastra,_

_I was rather against the idea of your proposal at first as it would be something larger organisations would be much better prepared to deal with. That assumption however changed my mind given that what our students need is real world experience, one where not only they get something out of it but it also benefits a charity as well. I discussed your proposal amongst the faculty leaders who seemed keen to offer this to two or three students from the media, arts and performance departments._

_I have a list of eight individuals who are keen to undertake this project. We have an empty storage hall in which we are intending to do our work. Please do give us an idea of anything you may need in regards to sets, special effects or props as soon as possible so that we can begin construction of them as soon as possible. Our aim is to produce items of film quality to prove our students have what those companies need._

_I hope to hear from you soon and see you in person in the near future._

_Castala_

_Faculty leader, Media department, University of Serrice._

Adastra notes it is not worth beginning to do any more work and so heads up to the Skylounge to meet everyone else. She gets her lunch and looks around to see if the others have arrived. To her surprise she spots Kate, Fosanta and Seliha already sat down eating. She walks over, "I thought I was early." Adastra places her tray down on the table before taking a seat next to Seliha.

"I finished my paperwork early Adastra so that is why I am here.

"Myself and Seliha have just finished next months Bioamp designs. They will begin to be made this afternoon. I also got a message from Sam saying Friday afternoon after work would be the best time to meet him."

"That would be nice. It does however sound like I am the only one who has been working this morning. I do admit that I did recieve a message back from Serrice about the event and the media production. They seem happy to do it and have eight individuals willing to help."

"I think we can manage with eight."

"Well they seem keen to go all the way from set building to final production Kate so they must have a fairly diverse skill set."

"I guess we should decide on sets this weekend then as they will need time to build them."

"I agree with Kate. I think we will get to see the others this weekend and be able to speak to them. I still have not got any replies back to the things we sorted out on Monday yet but we will see."

"I am sure you will get some soon."

"I hope so Seliha otherwise it is going to be a very boring event with no one there. I have an internal meeting shortly so I must leave."

"Is that the one for production?"

"It is Seliha. Do you have to go to that one as well?"

"Fortunately not."

"I should get back to this thruster design as it is not going to finish itself. I will see you all later." Adastra and Fosanta leave the table.

"Can I ask you why you seemed a little more caring yesterday afternoon towards me?" Seliha shakes her head with a little reluctance. "It is ok Seliha I was just curious as it is not really like you recently."

"I have work to do, if you do not mind."

"Have a good afternoon." Seliha nods before leaving Kate to finish her drink.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I know you may not be too keen to discuss it Seliha but we need to inform Castala if we need any props, special effects or sets."

"Just a room with chairs and as long as there are some individuals around then I think we will be fine."

"I think as I said an interview style video would work well for us both. I am just a little nervous as to how you may react with the others."

"I am not sure either Adastra. I think I would be willing to show my legs if you do as well."

"I was thinking an arm, preferably my left in an image but nothing in video. I would rather come across as a tease than expose everything."

"Perhaps you could put your left arm around me as I am wearing trousers and a bra."

"That sounds like a much better option for me. At least we know we do not need anything special now. Do sleep well." Seliha gives Adastra a light kiss before the two of them stick their heads down.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I apologise for last night Fosanta but I just needed some time to myself." Fosanta smiling as Kate walks through from the bathroom.

"You know I find your hair a wonderful contrast to blue skin Kate. I do understand you needing time for yourself but I was only trying to make you feel better."

"That is the reason for my apology Fosanta." Kate climbing onto the bed next to her. "Is there anything you would like me to do?"

"Errm. Just a kiss would be fine otherwise I may do something I should not." Kate slowly approaches Fosanta for a kiss, the obvious anticipation in her eyes as she does so making Kate smile.

"So just a kiss?" Fosanta nods. "I feel we need something else."

"What are you proposing Kate?" Fosanta feeling her anticipation deflate.

"I do not know I just feel a kiss is a bit boring." Fosanta seems to ponder ideas before Kate flattens her to the bed giving her the kiss she wanted.

"Did you drag it out to frustrate me?"

"I apologise but it was too tempting." Fosanta sighs with a smile.

"Thank you for this evening Kate. I will have to think of a nice way to meld this weekend." She gives Fosanta another kiss before getting into bed. Fosanta moves the duvet again and tucks Kate in before getting in herself. "Do sleep well my beautiful."

"I will as I know I have a kind and caring individual next to me." Fosanta nods before turning the light off.

* * *

><p><strong>Thursday 16th February 2017<strong>

Silana, Hymara and Lianta are having breakfast when they hear the door. "I wonder who that could be so early."

"Do you wish to answer Lianta just in case?" Silana also wondering who it could be. Lianta gets up and opens the door.

"Good morning Olissa. I do not think we were expecting you, at least this early. Sam and Amistathya are not up yet."

"That is ok, I can wait." Lianta gestures her in.

"Hello, Olissa. Would you like a drink while you wait?" Silana trying to be friendly but not being too keen at her turning up unannounced.

"I am fine Silana. What time do they usually get up?"

"Whenever they feel like doing so usually Olissa." Silana seeing the two of them walk into the bathroom out of the corner of her eye. "They should not be too long." Silana goes back to finishing off her breakfast at the table.

"Can I ask why you are here so early Olissa?" Hymara wondering if she is on some kind of mission to find something in particular out.

"Armali are wishing for us to make a decision one way or the other by the end of today ideally. Given that I need to find out and discuss as much as possible now so I have something to take to tomorrow mornings managerial meeting."

"So it is great when you turn up unannounced. I hope you do not mind if I eat at the same time." Amistathya and Sam descend the stairs, Sam clearly having less of a headache in that he can at least think without pauses.

"It does not sound like I have much of an option Sam." Olissa playing the calm annoying act. Silana, Hymara and Lianta just watched on quietly, seemingly weary that there could be problems. "I guess I should explain. I am lacking four pieces of information. First is your management skills sound questionable Sam given Silana admitted you basically trusted the individual to do as they are asked. Second you have demonstrated you have illogical decision making capability. Third, Amistathya and her markings cause problems and finally your contract terms were rather remarkable at Armali. Do you have anything to input on those points?" Sam helps Amistathya make the breakfast for the two of them before they go and sit on the sofa adjacent to the chair Olissa was in.

"I think you had your opportunity to get some of your questions asked when you came around on Monday Olissa. I have some of my own which I would like answering first. Starting with why did you not inform Silana of what you were to do?"

"Silana did not need to know the reason for us passing control to you. She was told enough to get the job done."

"Treat others as you would wish to be treated. A saying from my people which seems appropriate in this situation. I..." Sam's Omni-tool beeps and he decides to read the message instead of continuing to talk.

_Sam,_

_I am hoping you are well. I am free this morning if that is convenient else it would be Friday afternoon._

_Usarta_

Sam sends a quick reply back saying today will be ok if she does not expect too much. "Ok I will try to answer your queries Olissa. First as I said previously, I wish people to trust and respect me I therefore do the same to them. I understand some individuals will not follow this, however most will."

"Most cannot be trusted without an incentive Sam. I guess you may not have practical real world experience of this."

"Ok I am going to change how to approach this. Give me a reason why Amistathya and I should work at Sentix?" Sam getting a bit sick of her finding faults and just annoying him.

"We made an agreement at the beginning of the year to begin to offer Armali's propulsion technologies as a standard option rather than as special order requests. We are just beginning to see an effect on the numbers ordered and means we need more Armali propulsion engineers. You two are both already cleared to do so by Armali."

"So if we do not choose to work at Sentix you would have to get clearance for someone else. I heard that takes a while." Olissa seemed to sense what Sam was getting at which made her a little uncomfortable. "I think now would be a good time to give a good contract offer to sway my decision."

"Our standard contract would be ten percent less pay than you get now, five days a week, overtime pays fifty percent more but is compulsory if requested. Four weeks off a year for holiday time."

"I would get the same contract as Sam in that case?"

"No Amistathya. We can discuss yours in a minute."

"Is your standard contract what you are offering to me?"

"Yes, it is remarkably good for Illium Sam."

"Not as good as Armali though."

"Ok what would you like Sam?"

"A million credits an hour, one day a week, no overtime, a large house on a nice planet and some way to live longer." Olissa seems a little exasperated by Sam's literal interpretation. Silana seems impressed enough however to walk over from the kitchen and sit down on the sofa with Sam and Amistathya. "What I feel is reasonable and a happy compromise, ten percent less pay, three days a week, overtime pays double but time must be agreed at least one day prior, six weeks holiday. Ami gets the same except fifteen percent less pay. The contracts cannot be changed through their period and the period will be one year with automatic renewal unless there is a change to be made by either side." Olissa seems a little shocked as the door chime rings out. "It should be Usarta Lianta." Sam noting as she goes to the door.

"Good morning Usarta, come in." She nods and goes to the sofa opposite Olissa as Hymara and Lianta disappear into their room.

"I am a little surprised to see you here Olissa."

"I have a lot to discuss to see if we can offer Sam and Amistathya jobs." Usarta seems a little confused.

"I thought you essentially agreed to take them on and just had to work out minor technicalities such as Amistathya's contract."

"The board thought it would be wise to reopen everything for negotiation after we discovered you shipped a box from Atansys Chemical Research to here."

"I used to work there. Could I ask Usarta why Armali were even there?"

"Amistathya, Armali obtain various industrial chemicals from them. One is a popular cleaning solvent for rapid manufacturing machines. They are certainly not our favourite supplier, as they have a reputation, but they can provide what we need in the amount and quality we need. We have tried many companies on Illium and they are the most reliable." Amistathya nods. "Olissa, we used the same shuttle which brought in those supplies to take various items to this apartment. In one of the boxes was a surfactant bottle for general cleaning which we obtained from them. This was placed in one of the boxes that was to go to the apartment. So yes we did ship something from them to here but it was only a cleaning solution."

"Anyway as I said the board have decided to reopen negotiations. Sam our offer is the standard contract for you. Amistathya your contract will essentially mean you are tied to us in words only. Sam will get paid an extra thirty percent for time you work which he can then give to you."

"Olissa. I appreciate you have a successful business and it is on Illium where getting the most, for as little as possible, is paramount. What I have heard up to now is you treat servants almost as machines. You dislike anyone who is a bit unusual and are offering a poor contract. I will give you until tomorrow morning to bring a decent offer to the table and give me a very good reason why I should work at Sentix. I would quite like a reason as well why you should host the Galactic Acceptance event. What you have said today has been almost the opposite of what they wish to promote."

"Expect a message later Sam." He nods and Olissa gets up from the seat before making her way out of the apartment, seemingly not happy to be on the back foot.

"I really could have done without that this morning as my headache is still killing me." Sam shuffles a little closer to Amistathya.

"I feel almost angry at myself for not seeing what they are really like Sam. I do apologise."

"I am expecting the authorities to turn up in a couple of hours. Olissa wants to get us as cheaply as possible and the only way to do that is if she ruins our reputation."

"If that does happen after I have left please inform me Sam." He nods. "Silana I get the feeling you are not that comfortable about all of this?"

"I am disappointed in Olissa making Sentix look bad. I really thought they wanted Sam and Athya to work for them but it sounds like they are almost being forced against their will to hire them."

"I am most surprised Olissa did not take you back actually, given their reluctance. I guess I am going to have to inform Thessia that there could be delays in finding you two a job. I really do apologise to both of you."

"I do not think I would be comfortable with a company who sees me as an oddity."

"Amistathya, your markings are rather striking and I feel with some of the more traditionalist Asari that could be seen as a problem. While I personally think they are a bit much I know others such as Sam like them. I hope you do not feel offended by me saying that."

"I understand they may not appeal to everyone Usarta but you seem to understand that they were not my choice."

"Silana can you go and find Hymara and Lianta as they seem to have disappeared." She nods and does so. It was not long at all before the three of them are taking seats. "Usarta I would quite like your opinion on this as well. Should the event be moved?"

"I think you could be rushing to conclusions a little Sam. Wait until they get back to you with the new offer and then make a decision."

"I am glad there is someone thinking sensibly around here Hymara. I think I might see if I can come up with a contingency plan just in case though."

"I think Hymara is right about you waiting to see as this may be a play to try and shake you." Sam nods with a little confusion. "I do have a couple of questions to ask before I must leave you all. How are you both today as you seem better?"

"I feel a little unwell Usarta but I am quite a bit better."

"I just have a headache really as my nose is not running as much now. I am hoping Ami gets better soon."

"You should be both fine by Saturday Sam as long as you keep doing as you are now. I need to ask you to inform me of any developments with Sentix or the event. We will try to support the event wherever it may end up being Sam."

"I appreciate that Usarta. One of us will keep you informed as I am tempted to see if I can get some more sleep. It has been a long morning already."

"I can understand that. I will be awaiting further news. I hope you all have a pleasant day."

"Thank you for seeing us." Usarta nods to Amistathya before leaving the apartment. "I would quite like a drink then I may join you Sam."

"I could do with one as well Ami."

"Can I ask how bad Olissa was as we left when Usarta turned up?" Sam gestures Silana to answer.

"She was not that friendly, she made it seem like Sentix did not want Sam or Athya and she seemed to blame Armali for giving Sam and Athya the ritual resource."

"I feel Armali has treated you well Sam after they terminated your contract. I think given what Silana has just said, Olissa does not know you well enough."

"I would only be impressed now if they agreed to my fairly reasonable contract request and Silana got a similar contract as I requested for Ami. I would also need guarantees that Ami will not be looked upon badly because of her markings and I would like an apology from Olissa."

"I am not sure what that would get me pay wise Sam." Sam opens up his Omni-tool and works out the amount.

"Two hundred per hour Silana and a three day week not to mention overtime paying double that amount."

"Ok. I can see why Olissa was rather reluctant. I could barely dream of getting a contract like that."

"Do not get your hopes up Silana. I am however sure that Sam will try."

"I would appreciate that but I highly doubt I could get anything like that."

"It probably will not but after this morning Sentix are going to have to offer something good. Anyway I will talk later." Silana nods as Sam and Amistathya go upstairs. Silana decides to take a seat with Hymara and Lianta on the sofa, the three of them watching the news.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"It is funny how I have always been the last to arrive recently." Adastra noting as she takes her usual seat at the table.

"Maybe you are just slow." A slight smile from Seliha gives Adastra a little confidence she was joking.

"Or I just have something called work to do Seliha. How are you Kate?"

"I am ok. I have a quieter day today so it is just a little boring."

"Well we had a discussion about the event last night and we decided we did not need anything special in the form of props or special effects. I forgot to mention that we had done so over breakfast."

"Would that be because you were more interested in writing some notes on your Omni-tool Adastra?"

"They were ideas for the thruster and I did not want to forget them Fosanta. They have actually been helpful this morning."

"At least we have some of the video details sorted. We just need to organise the rest with Athya and Whesiva some time soon."

"I am sure it will come together Kate. If you have any ideas you could always make notes like Adastra."

"I may do that as I am just filling out documentation this afternoon."

"I will get back to using my noted ideas. I will speak to you all this evening."

"I will come with you Adastra." Kate gets up and walks with Adastra.

"What did you decide to do for the video Seliha?"

"Nothing elaborate."

"Fair enough. I could do with testing one of the new bioamps to see how the sensors are working." The two of them get up and begin walking back to the biotics building.

"Could I ask if you have thought about rituals Fosanta?" She seems a little surprised at the question.

"A little Seliha but it is difficult as Kate would not appreciate most of them. We have decided to have a break sometime soon so I am thinking I will decide then." Seliha nods. "Have you thought about one for Adastra?"

"I already know which one she would like. It is just timing."

"I am sure that Adastra would appreciate it Seliha when you feel you are both comfortable. I will see you this evening." Seliha nods to Fosanta who turns left instead of continuing down the corridor.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Ami, if you want you can go and put something non-transparent on." Sam making the comment after the door chime had yet again made itself known. Amistathya nods and goes to put something on as Hymara goes to the door.

"Good afternoon, I am detective Anaya. Could I speak to Sam and Amistathya?"

"Of course, we guessed you may be coming." Anaya seems a little confused by that but follows Hymara to the seats. Anaya sits on one of the two single chairs as Sam walks over to take a seat on the opposite sofa.

"Hello Sam. I am detective Anaya from Illium law enforcement. Where is Amistathya?"

"She will be here in a minute. Could everyone else take a seat?" Lianta seemed intent on running into their room again but takes a seat on the other sofa along with Hymara. Silana sits with Sam. "I guess you have some questions?"

"I would like to wait for Amistathya to arrive before I begin." Sam nods and looks to his left down the corridor to see Amistathya walking towards them. "Hello Amistathya. I am detective Anaya." She nods before forgoing the space next to Sam and sits on his knee.

"I think that is everyone here now Anaya."

"We had a report of yourself and Amistathya undertaking an illegal ritual. While usually we would fine individuals for doing so as it is not that big of an issue, my superiors told me not to in this case."

"Could I ask why?"

"I will say in a minute." Hymara nods. "Would you like to tell me where you got it from?"

"I never got anything myself Anaya, neither did Ami. It was in a box which was left for us when we moved in here last weekend. While Armali delivered the boxes they could not have been the ones who originally got hold of the items."

"What makes you so confident about that?"

"There are some small details which have convinced me they know Ami at least as well as I do. No one at Armali does."

"Small details such as?"

"Hypo-allergenic skin markers so Ami does not have a reaction, the fact that Armali knew Lianta and Hymara were to be with us so why were their boxes not named like ours? I admit a lot adds up to them doing this but it was not. I even asked Usarta afterwards and she had no knowledge at all about what had happened."

"Could it have been one of your friends who work there who placed the box to be delivered?"

"Seliha dislikes me being with Ami, Adastra is not that kind of person, Kate had no idea what the ritual was, the same as I had no clue and Fosanta would not risk getting caught doing something like that. The only other individual I know really is Whesiva and she knows so little about Ami it would not happen."

"The packages may have come from Atansys Chemical Research originally before Armali got them Anaya." Amistathya keen to get one back on her old employer.

"How do you know this Amistathya?" She stays quiet and Silana decides to help out.

"My owner came around this morning and accused Armali of shipping items from them to here. Usarta seemed adamant that the shipment was only chemicals for them and one package was cleaning solution for us but my owner did not seem convinced."

"I guess you are a servant for Sentix then?"

"I am."

"Can I ask you a question Anaya as I am not sure on the legality of melding while on the dangerous list on Illium?"

"We technically enforce the laws surrounding it but we do not add individuals onto the list. We can however flag them for addition if they go into council space in the future but that tends to be patchy at best especially amongst indentured servants. I should not say this but as long as you keep it private then we do not invest the resources to prosecute."

"I am glad to hear that as it would be difficult for Ami and I if that was the case."

"Just keep it between yourselves and you will both be ok." Sam and Amistathya nod. "Could I ask to see one of the containers?"

"Silana, could you get one for Anaya to look at?" She nods and goes to the storage room. "You seem to have a reason for checking Anaya?"

"I do, we are tracking a company producing it on Illium and they all come in containers which hold over a certain amount of fluid. We do not wish to say the amount as it would give them a clue that we know." Sam nods and Silana hands one of the white capped pens to Anaya. "It came in one of these?"

"Yes." Sam and Amistathya say at the same time getting a bit of a laugh. Anaya searches the Thessian address on the label of the pen and seems to get a bit of a shock as she sees the result.

"That is going to be awkward to explain to the sergeant later." Sam laughs.

"Let me guess, a company that specialises in items for bondmates?" Sam's Omni-tool beeps.

"You could put it that way Sam." he nods as he reads the message with Amistathya looking at it at the same time.

_Sam,_

_Inform the detective of the truth. It will make your lives easier._

"I wish people would put their name on messages. Anaya, someone is keeping track of what is happening it seems as they know you are here."

"Can I see that message?" Sam nods. Anaya gets off her seat and sits down on the spare seat next to Sam. He shows her the message. "So you have been lying to me?"

"No Anaya you just never asked the right question. Ami would you like to tell the detective?"

"It was not four containers." Anaya seems a little happier, if unsure, with that comment, more than shocked.

"I really hope the person on the other end of those messages has a plan Sam."

"It cannot be any worse than everything seems to have been these last two weeks Hymara. You seem to be wondering what you have to do Anaya?"

"I apologise. The fact it is two containers would explain the small container size. It does leave me wondering what to do as I am still a bit new to this job. Could you give me five minutes?" Sam nods and she leaves the apartment to seemingly contact someone.

"I cannot quite believe Olissa informed them Sam."

"I said she would Silana. She will likely be after leverage for the contract."

"You mean she wants things she can use to make the contract worse for you?"

"Silana you should not be so worried, Sam knows how to play this game." Amistathya looks to Sam who can only laugh a little as Anaya walks back in through to door and takes a seat back on the single chair.

"I apologise for the delay. We are to treat this as a four container investigation if you will co-operate with us."

"What do you need us to do Anaya?"

"You may be subject to extra checks when you next land on a council world, you must not mention to the media this was the two container variant and pay a thousand credit fine each."

"Sounds reasonable enough to me, when do we have to pay the fine?"

"Within the next seven days at the station Sam. If you arrive in a morning and find me I will help you out as I do deskwork in a morning." Sam nods. "I must leave as I am needed elsewhere. I hope to see you all again soon." The five of them give their goodbyes to Anaya before she leaves the apartment.

"Are you sure it is Sha'ira who gives you those messages Sam?" Lianta barely waiting until Anaya has left.

"I think the individual who sends them changes Lianta. Some are definitely Sha'ira, some such as this I think are someone else." Lianta nods. "I best inform Usarta about this." Sam opens up his Omni-tool to create the message.

"I am curious Sam, how do you know Sha'ira?"

"Hold on Silana." Sam finishes the message off and sends it. "Sha'ira helped Adastra on the Citadel when the Enlighten arrived back. Since I was being a bit of company for Adastra at the time she met me while helping her. Yes she probably knows Ami and I well enough to offer up the ritual but I do not think it was her idea."

"Who do you think it is Sam?" Hymara wanting to get to the bottom of what happened.

"Silana, will you tell Olissa if I ask you not to? This information along with the ritual could cause us some large problems if it gets out."

"I will not say anything about either Sam."

"I think it could have been Holana but I am not sure Hymara. What do you think?" Sam looking up to he sky blue one on his knee.

"She was looking for something Sam. You could be right. Silana, she is one of Sha'ira's acolytes and should not see individuals on her own. That is another reason why it must be kept quiet."

"I understand Athya." Sam gets a new message which he quickly opens.

_Sam,_

_Please come to see me at Sentix. Remind Silana to abide by our rules._

_Olissa_

"Silana it seems we are going for a trip to Sentix. Olissa wishes me to remind you of their rules."

"Are we to go now Sam?"

"We may as well as I cannot see this lasting long. Oh and if you can use the situation to your own benefit Silana please do so." She nods before going to put something on.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The five of them exit the skycar at Sentix, Silana having her vibrant green collar around her neck. "I guess you know where to go Silana?"

"I do Lianta. Follow me."

"That is not exactly difficult. All we need to do is follow the bright green glow."

"It is not my choice Sam. I would have chosen a different colour if I had a choice." Sam nods as the five of them walk to the lift and take it down five floors. They exit the lift and turn left to walk down a white corridor with what looks like marbled tiles on the floor, through two sets of double doors, before reaching an unassuming door on the left. "We are here." Sam knocks on the door and it is only a few seconds before Olissa appears.

"I was half expecting you to take your time Sam. Come in." The five of them enter a room with a large table in the middle, a single console sitting at the head of the table where Olissa takes a seat.

"I have been told I am a little unpredictable Olissa. Why did you wish to talk here?"

"I needed to inform Silana we will need her on Monday for some work we have just received this afternoon. I also wondered if you had thought about my offer any more?"

"You seem like you are not keen on having myself or Ami Olissa. I would have expected something tempting not something I can get anywhere if I ask nicely enough."

"Amistathya unfortunately makes you a liability Sam. That, your dubious decision making and the fact you do not have practical experience of actually installing thrusters means you are not going to find a better offer Sam."

"My offer was not unreasonable Olissa and I could quite easily pull your licence to use Armali products, give your company a bad reputation and move the event somewhere better. It is not only you who has friends in high places, Ami even knows the councillor herself." Sam knew that was a bit of a lie but it sounded good. "I would be open to a compromise but you need to be willing to negotiate."

"Ok I will negotiate but all changes will have an impact on Silana which are to be decided by me." The other four Asari seem shocked as Sam laughs.

"Ok then, five times the pay I got at Armali, two day weeks, ten weeks holiday, overtime pays double and must be confirmed at least a day in advance, a two thousand credit signing bonus, a personal transport ship. I would also like Silana and Ami to be in my team. Ami's contract is to be the same except twenty percent less pay. She would also like a clause which states any negativity towards her natural markings will result in prosecution on discriminatory grounds." Sam smiles to Olissa who seemed unable to work out where to start.

"Silana, now you know why I said not to underestimate Sam." Silana nods but still seems a little worried how much this is going to cost her.

"I would have liked you to offer Silana a little more in the way of payment for her services while you are at it Olissa. I know she is a servant but the fact she seems to care about her job should be rewarded."

"That would be almost as much as I get for my job Sam."

"Perhaps you should think about getting a new job then Olissa. As I said I am open to reasonable negotiation but you really need to give me an incentive to work here." Olissa turns on the console in front of her and seems to do some calculating.

"My final offer is as follows Sam. I will offer ten percent less pay than you had at Armali but a three day week. The first eight hours of overtime are paid at fifty percent more, the remainder double. I will inform you in advance of overtime. You also have six weeks holiday and I will offer a personnel transport of your choosing between yourself and Amistathya if you work on it in your free time. Amistathya, you get the same but an extra twenty three percent less pay. I also have three requests and an offer that go with this as well Sam."

"What would they be Olissa as I would like to hear everything before I decide?"

"The requests are, taking Silana from us. We will cover any integration costs with yourself. The second request is that the passenger transport while yours should have Sentix Spaceworks branding on it somewhere. The last request is that if all three of you are to be on holiday then the holiday period is no longer than one week. The offer is if you take Silana she will get the same contract as has been offered to Amistathya."

"Before I make a decision, I would be interested in knowing why the sudden change Olissa?"

"I try to get the best deals I can possibly get from everything Sam. Most individuals in this company have their own unique contract and it is usually just above what they would get elsewhere. For you Armali had offered you one of the best contracts we had seen for your role and we were unwilling to offer the same under any circumstances. This is why I tried desperately to convince you that you are not worth that much. You have convinced me eventually that you are worth more than we thought hence the better offer. I know it is not quite as good as you had at Armali but it is the best we can offer. Silana will end up being paid very well even if we were on Thessia, if you agree to be her owner."

"I guess in real terms the cost to you for Silana will not change much?"

"We ideally needed two individuals working five day weeks really Sam. We after you wished Amistathya to have a job meant we had to budget for two full time individuals as well as Silana. The fact you seem to wish to have a three day week means we are essentially paying Silana from the hours that you do not want."

"I see how that works well for us all. Do either of you three have a problem with Silana occupying a bit of space in the apartment?"

"We are only there to protect you Sam, it is not really up to us what choice you make."

"I like having Silana around Sam, she is a friendly individual."

"Silana are you happy to be my servant on a permanent basis?"

"I have no objections to that Sam."

"I just have one question Olissa. When you say personal transport of our choosing what do you mean?"

"For passenger transports we provide a choice of hull and allow our clients to design their own interior, specify the essential parts and then build it. We will offer up to our five metre diameter, thirty five metre length design and anything you wish adding in. If you wish to go larger certain additional costs will have to be borne by yourselves." Sam opens his Omni-tool and does some calculating.

"I guess that is a shorter than standard variant Olissa?"

"It is our standard size for ion propulsion in the smaller hull line Sam, but I guess from your role in plasma propulsion at Armali you may wish to use that instead. We will cover either choice but using plasma propulsion will eat into your available space. We usually use a forty five metre hull for plasma propulsion as the electrolysis unit and larger thrusters easily use the extra space." Sam has an idea and wonders if Armali and Sentix would be willing to do so.

"Can I request a specific design from Armali for the propulsion?"

"I will message you a couple of files with our price list and a 3d model so you can have a go planning what you would like if you all agree with the offers you have been given. As long as the cost of the custom Armali variant does not exceed the highest cost on the list for a similar design then we will cover it." Sam nods before looking to Amistathya.

"I am considering what has been offered. What about my sky blue one?"

"Olissa, I have two questions." She nods. "Am I to work with Sam and are their any specific rules such as Silana has at the moment?"

"We are hoping Sam would technically lead you both in installing, maintaining and repairing Armali's products, therefore unless Sam was to split you to each work on your own thruster, which may be necessary at times, you would work together. I know Silana will have to teach you both what to do and therefore would be the one making the decisions to begin with. There will be one rule Sam in that Amistathya and Silana will need some visible way of identifying them as yours and not owned by Sentix. You would therefore have no extra rules Amistathya as your braid would be suitable." Amistathya nods.

"I am happier now Sam."

"It seems Ami and I will agree but on the condition the contract cannot be changed, it is one year in length and automatically renews unless changes are to be made."

"We would prefer to have the confidence of you being here for five years to begin with Sam, after the five we can do as you suggest."

"Ok as long as no changes can be made in that time without consent from both sides. Armali tried to get me on that one; I think they offered such a good contract to get me there and then was planning to reduce it." Olissa laughs.

"That would explain why it was so good." Olissa goes to some drawers in the corner and takes out four datapads. She places them next to the console and seems to do some processing. She them hands one of them to Silana, one to Amistathya and two to Sam. "If you could carefully read through the contracts and sign them I would appreciate it. Amistathya, yours does not have the passenger transport on it but given you are bondmates with Sam I thought it only needed to appear on his contract." Amistathya nods as Silana hands back the signed pad. Sam takes his time to very carefully work his way through the contract.

"Well it is a simpler contract, than the Armali one was to read. I just have one question Silana. I see a day is defined as nine till six, if we work over can we opt to take the overtime as a day off instead of as credits?"

"You mean if you wanted an extra day off between Monday and Friday so you worked the previous Saturday to cover it?" Sam nods. "I think I will agree to that Sam." Olissa, after a moments pause realising that doing that could mean less overtime being paid. Sam modifies his contract before doing the same for Amistathya. The two of them sign the pad and hand them to Olissa.

"I think Silana would like that offer as well Olissa, unless you are to be mean again." Olissa picks up her pad and modifies it to be the same. She hands the pad back to Silana who checks the change and signs it before handing it back.

"You just have the last pad to modify to your liking and sign Sam." Sam goes mad with the delete key and makes the contract the same as Amistathya's excluding the not asking about the past limitation as well. Sam signs it.

"I guess it should be Silana who I hand it to?" Olissa nods and Sam holds it out for Silana to take which she does. "Silana, you have basically agreed to this with our arrangement. You will find it makes no difference to how you were treated before, trust me on that." Silana looks a little unsure but signs the pad before handing it to Olissa who does not bother reading it. "I have one question Olissa. I hope given Silana still had time on her contract that the ending of the contract was by mutual agreement. Ami has had so many problems with owners being unreasonable like that."

"I have specified the reason as offered for re-employment Sam which will cause her no issues in the future as it shows it was our decision."

"I appreciate you seemingly being a reasonable owner Olissa."

"We try to get the best from our servants Sam while treating them well. It is not always an easy balance but the system we have works well for our six thousand servants. I appreciate you agreeing to a more reasonable contract and I hope to see you three on Monday morning." The three of them nod and everyone leaves the room to head back to the skycar. Sam sends a message to Usarta as they walk down the corridor.

"You look a little on edge Silana. I thought you would be happy about not being a Sentix servant any more?"

"I am. It is just a little nervousness after signing that contract."

"I understand what you are perhaps thinking but nothing will change from this morning as I said earlier." Sam walking typing and talking at the same time, Hymara having to stop him of walking too far after he nearly walks past the lift. "Whoops. I should watch where I am going."

"It would be best if you sent messages while you were doing nothing else Sam. It is safer that way." Sam nods as the lift doors open and the five of them get in.

"It is not really the fact I am essentially reduced to a virtual entity Sam although that in itself is rather scary. I will explain when we get back." Sam nods as he finishes off the message and sends it just before the lift stops. The five of them exit and begin to walk to the skycar, Sam still typing as he walks.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Well at least that is today over with. I only have one appointment early tomorrow afternoon which is nice."

"The biotics department is also fairly quiet given there is no testing this weekend. We do however have to prepare the next round of bio-amps to be shipped tomorrow to the testers."

"So I will get a new one tomorrow then Seliha?"

"You should do. I will give you a message to pick it up when it is ready." Adastra nods.

"I am a little more interested in visiting Sam and Amistathya. I hope they are better than they were on Monday." Adastra gets a message which she breaks off eating to read.

_Adastra,_

_I feel my headache is hurting me more now but we have got somewhere to work on Monday. I will explain everything tomorrow._

_Sam_

"It sounds as if Sam has just worked out a contract with Sentix. He said he will explain more tomorrow."

"Well that is good news. I do not blame him for waiting until we visit tomorrow to explain."

"Sam must have done some convincing to get Olissa on his side as she really did not seem all that keen to hire them. How she changed quite so much from our very pleasant meeting we had at Armali I do not know."

"I guess some people show certain sides to certain people Kate. I would not worry too much if he has a job as I am sure Sam has got a decent deal out of it all." Kate nods to Adastra.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am thinking food, shower and then bed as my head still hurts."

"That sounds like a good idea for you Sam as we have the rest of them coming around tomorrow."

"I forgot that everyone was coming, but more important is that you still seem a little anxious. You said you would explain when we get back Silana."

"I am both happy to be getting fairly ridiculous pay and to not have to be with Sentix anymore. The contract while I can see what you mean by it being no different to our agreement is not quite the same Sam."

"Would you care to elaborate why?"

"In the agreement there is one thing I would have not let you do to me. Now I would have no option." Amistathya comes back from the downstairs room in her transparent clothes.

"Silana, it would probably be best if you say to Sam what you do not like while I make some food." Sam and Silana help out Amistathya as they talk.

"I once had the displeasure of having to wear a disruptor for a short contract I once had. It was only used on me actively for a few weeks but I hope to never see one again as it was awful."

"Would you like to explain what a disruptor does and why you disliked it Silana?"

"They are an advancement on active biotic limiters for slave control. About the only things you can do when it is active is lightly breathe and move your head, but even doing that causes pain. Any attempt at movement just causes excessive pain and your body does nothing useful. The limiter if it has been mapped to you can allow an owner to take all control of your legs away when they wish and you are unable to do anything at all about it."

"Can you not remove the device?"

"If you touch the device with anything it removes your control Sam."

"I understand your concern Silana but I am convinced you are not a difficult individual so I would have no need to use such a device. As I said just act in the same way as you have over the last few days and everything will be fine. I am going to have to discuss with you how you wish to show that you are not a Sentix servant but that can be tomorrow if you wish." Amistathya gets Hymara and Lianta from upstairs as Silana and Sam take a seat at the dining table.

"So what I have been doing the last few days has been the contract?"

"That is what I was trying to explain Silana. Essentially the one and only rule you need to stick to is abide by the agreement we have. The agreement has some flexibility in that you can suggest alterations or through rewards get it changed such as your ability to use seats now. I hope you can now see what I mean a little more clearly."

"I can Sam. I feel a little happier now and I would like to thank you again for getting me such a good work contract. Could I ask what I am to get exactly so I am sure?" Sam, Hymara and Lianta take their seats, Amistathya kneeling on hers.

"Two hundred credits an hour, three days a week working, overtime pays fifty percent more for the first day or double for any time over that amount and six weeks holiday a year. You are however loosing free meals and your own little apartment."

"I think it will be a little while before I finally accept I will be treated as a non-servant employee. I mean even getting paid that much per week would have been a good deal. I am considering having a similar collar to Athya's Sam as it does look quite nice and it would mean we would match." Amistathya smiles a little before she moves her plate away to be washed.

"Think about it tonight Silana as I really need an early night now. Negotiating is really difficult to do on a few bad nights of sleep."

"I will clean the plates and tidy everything away if you and Athya wish to sleep Sam."

"I appreciate you offering Silana. I will speak to you all in the morning." Lianta and Silana nod.

"Hopefully we should have no early visitors tomorrow." Sam laughs and nods to Hymara as Amistathya joins Sam to go upstairs.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**Apologies for delays but this chapter was a much bigger pain to write than I thought. I will post chapter forty eight on the 6th of October as it is very nearly completed.**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter and reviews are appreciated.**


	48. Chapter 48 : Weekend Beginnings

**Chapter 48 - Weekend Beginnings**

* * *

><p><strong>Friday 17th February 2017<strong>

"You did that on purpose as my nose is not running." Sam drying his nose on the pillow as the grey eyed sky blue one smiles.

"We should be up anyway. I think going to pay our fine this morning may be an idea."

"You seem much more yourself this morning."

"I feel fairly good, just a little bit of a headache left. Are you better?"

"Still a bit tired Ami but my head feels just a little light but not sore now. I do think your idea to go into Nos Astra to pay the fine is a good one though." Sam sits up in the bed and leans over to get his Omni-tool. "I must have some messages." Sam looks in his inbox to find two.

_Sam,_

_As promised attached is the price list and the hull design file which should help you create your own design. I do hope there are no hard feelings over my actions previously and I hope you enjoy your time here._

_Olissa_

"Well I finally got my apology even if it is a bit late and not an outright apology." Amistathya smiles as she gets up from the bed and walks over to her clothes she removed the previous evening. Sam opens message number two.

_Sam,_

_I have informed the board of your contract agreement with Sentix. I believe that concludes our official relationship with you, however if you have anything you wish to discuss you can message me. I wish you well for your time at Sentix and hope to see you again._

_Usarta_

"Well that was predictable from Usarta although I have something I need to ask her." Sam decides to get out of bed and begin the day after reading his messages.

"What are you thinking this time Sam?"

"Ideas for the ship Ami. I thought it may be something quiet to do this afternoon before everyone turns up."

"I like that idea but breakfast first." He nods and the two of them leave the room and walk down the stairs to find the other three already having theirs.

"How are you both this morning?" Sam and Amistathya begin raiding the cupboards for food.

"Well Ami seems much livelier this morning and I have not really got a headache now, just a bit of an odd feeling. It is ok though. Are you ok this morning after our discussion about your contract Silana?"

"I am Sam. I cannot find fault with me offering to have a similar braid to Athya if you wish."

"I will discuss it possibly tomorrow as there is quite a bit to do today. Ami thought about going to Nos Astra to pay that fine this morning."

"That sounds like a better idea than going at weekend Sam as there are likely to be fewer reporters around."

"I guess that would make your life easier then Hymara." Sam laughs a little as she nods. Sam sends a message to Usarta as he eats his breakfast. "I am trying to sort an idea out for the ship. I have a feeling we are going to hate the design a bit once it is built."

"Could I suggest that I sit in with you when you design it Sam? I have had to work in some awfully designed ships in the past and I think having some input from someone with experience could be a good idea."

"I could not agree more Silana." Silana smiles. The five of them finish breakfast before making their way to the police station in Nos Astra.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra gets a message on her Omni-tool which she looks at.

_Adastra,_

_I hear you are getting help from Thea and Samalya on the larger design. I have a request to have two one metre designs made based upon the twelve metre design that you made last week. They are to end up inside a ship so lightweight but solid performance with a good efficiency is more critical than sound reproduction. If you could have this design done as soon as possible then I would appreciate it._

_Usarta_

"It seems these designs are becoming popular already." Adastra musing to Thea and Samalya

"What do you mean by that Adastra as no one knows about them yet?"

"I am to make a one metre design based upon the twelve I made last week for someone Thea. It could be an Armali test ship for the products before they launch them. I best begin working on the design if you two are comfortable carrying on with this design without me."

"We will be fine Adastra. We know where you will be if we need any help with anything." Adastra nods and makes her way out of their room to her own.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Lianta leads the five of them towards the police station by a less obvious route so as to avoid journalists. They find none that are obvious outside the station itself which seems to please Hymara. They enter and go to the reception desk.

"Welcome to Illium law enforcement. I guess you would like to speak to detective Anaya?"

"We would if she is available." The receptionist seems to send a message.

"She should be with you shortly. If you would kindly wait on the seats to your right she will meet you when she is free." The five of them nod and walk over to take a seat as a couple of Turians walk forward to talk to the receptionist. They had barely had time to sit down when Anaya walked around the corner.

"Good morning, you all look fresher today."

"Some good news and progress helps Anaya."

"Could you and Amistathya follow me for a few moments?" The two of them get up and walk around the corner to Anaya's desk. "I guess you may not be feeling quite so happy after this."

"It is a large fine which is never nice but I think we both understand it is to try and put people off doing it. Can I ask what kind of extra checks do you mean when we next go to council space?" Sam gets a fund transfer request to his Omni-tool which he approves after carefully checking the details. Amistathya does the same.

"I do apologise for making that comment Sam as they changed the law to differentiate between handling and using them. They wish to stop transportation of them so people cannot buy them. You two only used and had no idea how they were transported, hence you should have no extra checks."

"That is good news as if they would have done ship searches that may have got difficult."

"That is the reason why they changed it a couple of years ago Sam. I hope you do not feel bad about being fined and I wish you a pleasant day."

"I appreciate the time Anaya." She nods. Sam and Amistathya head back to the others who get up and the five of them make their way out. Evidently the media were not far behind them given the three of them standing just outside the door. Hymara looks to Sam who can only smile as they walk past them.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I guess having only forms to fill in means you had an easy morning Kate?" Fosanta and Seliha take a seat at the white topped table in the Skylounge.

"It is boring though Fosanta, it is however a bit of a welcome break from meetings. How have both of your mornings been?"

"Just boxing up fifty or so bioamps. It did not take long with several of us there. We are mostly finished now though."

"It sounds like you are waiting for me to finish Seliha."

"I am, but if you are busy then I can always find something that needs doing."

"I had a request from Usarta to scale the twelve metre design down to a one metre design. While the software can do a scale automatically and give estimates of performance it needs manual changes. So that is what I have been doing all morning. I think it will only take me another hour or so Seliha."

"It sounds like you two could be finishing before us. Sam said after we had finished work if I remember correctly."

"You do remember right Fosanta. I do not think he will mind too much if we are a little early." Kate finishing the last of her lunch off. "I unfortunately must leave as I have a meeting shortly. I just hope it is a good one."

"I hope it is as well. Do give me a message when you are ready to leave Kate." Fosanta gets a nod and a smile from Kate before she leaves.

"I do not think we will be too far ahead of you actually Fosanta as I have to run this design past a couple of people before going to Usarta to get approval for them. If we want to get to Sam's I think I should leave."

"Have a good afternoon. We will probably meet you at Sam's unless we both finish at a similar time." Adastra gets a quick kiss from Seliha before nodding to Fosanta and leaving.

"I guess we should do something to pass the time."

"I think that is a good idea Seliha as they may both be a while."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"How do you think you will pack everything in Sam?" Silana looking at an already full engineering area on the screen.

"I have some ideas to make things faster and much less intensive. You should note the large amount of tubing in the engineering area. Before you ask, it is not all for water and there is no real gas movement needed, it is for wiring."

"Why have you done that Sam?" Silana confused as to why he would change the tried and tested method of bundling cables to certain parts of the hull.

"You can blow a fibre bundle down them instead of having to manually position them in the correct place. Then all that is left to do is terminate both ends and connect them up. It saves time and also should mean there are spare fibres if they are needed for some reason. The same can be used for power cabling as well."

"So you are over provisioning?"

"A little but I assume as long as I can justify doing so then Olissa cannot say much." Silana nods.

"So we are having four bedrooms, a shower room, a separate toilet, a small kitchen space, a sitting area and the cockpit."

"Yes Ami. I was going to ask if Hymara or Lianta had a problem using a bunk room and give you a single room Silana. It was an idea to give more space for all the needed engineering equipment but four double rooms have more flexibility."

"You may well end up regretting that move Sam."

"Most of the floor and roof panels will be removable Silana. The pipes in the side spaces will have the wires blown through so there is no need to have them removable. I can see having a bit of fun with the thrusters but even with a tripling of the cooling available for them I think there will be adequate room."

"Can I have a better look at that area Sam?" Sam gets up off the seat to let Silana take over at the console. She seems to make some measurements at arbitrary points around the thrusters. "Can I make a few edits to this design Sam?"

"Of course but I would quite like you to keep everything almost in position as there is only the minor things to add in now." She nods and adds quite a large amount of transparent ceramic ducting throughout the ship with holes in various places. "I see you are confused by what I am doing. I will explain when I am finished." Sam nods as she adds some more piping for cables to be blown through.

"Could I ask if you can use that transparent material for the shuttle control interface?"

"You can but why would you wish to?"

"Well it would be nice if I could learn to fly the ship and I do not have haptic implants. It would be better for me if there was a surface I could touch."

"Ok I need to make a few more changes in that case as non-haptic controls need a couple more screens for just data and information display which would usually be delivered via haptics." Adastra, Seliha, Kate and Fosanta walk through the door.

"Hymara said you would be here. We finished work a little earlier than planned Sam. What are you doing?"

"Before I get to what we are doing I have a few things to announce and talk about first Adastra. I guess you are all ok?"

"We are I think Sam." Fosanta giving the broad group response.

"Have you got over Tuesday now Kate?"

"Mostly. I am just hoping that Galactic Acceptance can open a centre here in Nos Astra to help those individuals after this event."

"It is likely they will only help the most fortunate unlucky individuals Kate. I am sure they will make a difference to lots of individuals though."

"You have a point. How are you two today anyway?"

"I am still not quite over it and I think Ami is similar but we are both much better." Amistathya stands from kneeling on her seat and gestures Sam to take a seat. He does so before she takes a seat on his knee. "I guess there would be enough seats for you all if you wished to pair up. I have a bit to talk about so you may be standing a while." Kate looks to Fosanta who takes a seat first as she is a little taller than Kate. Seliha takes the high ground and sits down first.

"I think I will sit on your knee next time Kate as your hair keeps going in my face."

"How about we swap now Fosanta." She nods and they do so. "Is that better?"

"It is Kate. What is it you were wishing to talk to us about Sam?"

"Well Olissa was a rather difficult individual yesterday even going as far as informing the authorities about our ritual."

"How are you still here?"

"It is not technically illegal on Illium Seliha. We have however had to pay a fine because they were incorrectly labelled. Anyway after all this happened Olissa asked us to visit her at Sentix. She seemed to want to play the negotiating game which is never a good idea if you are on the loosing side already."

"We worked out you have accepted a contract so you can just tell us the details."

"That was going to be the big reveal Seliha." Sam at least gets a laugh from Amistathya. "Ok, the contract is less pay than Armali but three day weeks and a private transport are the highlights."

"I am envious now Sam. Do you know the size of the transport?"

"Hold on a few moments Adastra. There was a rather large addition to the contract in the form of Silana. She signed a contract to be my servant in return for getting the same contract as Ami."

"I thought you hated being an owner?"

"If the servants are hard work then I do. Silana has been rather attentive while we were unwell which showed that she is trying to make my life easier. The contract she is going to get pays her more in an hour than she used to get each week Fosanta. That to me is victory to getting away from servitude, at least in the traditional sense."

"Silana, I have never been keen on Sam having slaves but my position has changed a little since Tuesday. Can I ask how do you feel about this?"

"I feel quite honoured and privileged to be in the position I am at the moment Kate. I have a caring and friendly owner and I have a job contract which I still cannot quite believe. I would struggle to be much happier to be honest Kate even though I find being in a contract a little mentally challenging at times."

"Are you happy that I am not mistreating Silana now Kate?"

"It makes me feel happier about the situation."

"Good, on to the passenger transport then." Adastra seemed to wake up a little again at that. "Sentix are giving us a five metre diameter, thirty five metre long hull to make as we wish."

"When you say diameter do you mean the shortest dimension?"

"No it is a circular profile Adastra. I know Sentix have actually ceased offering this design as a standard hull as most people prefer the oval profile as it allows a much shorter ship. It also allows having rooms either side of a central corridor which balances the ship easier."

"I think I know why Sentix have stopped offering it Silana. Balance can be corrected by careful placement of components and ballast but space ports tend to have more docks available for ships less than fifteen metres in width. Given that wingspan is usually in proportion to length I guess your ship will be over that."

"The design file says the ship will be twenty one metres in width so you are correct." Silana providing the data as she continues to make small changes.

"Does that mean docking will be more expensive Adastra?"

"I guess you are going with plasma propulsion and not ion propulsion Sam?"

"Of course I am. I guess you have heard about me requesting to have two water fed thrusters from Armali in the design." Adastra laughs.

"I was wondering who was to get them as they have not even been announced yet. I spent today shrinking the design for the twelve metre thruster down. They are a bit bigger than you may expect Sam so I hope you have space but the specifications were fairly good."

"By bigger than we expect do you mean length or diameter?"

"Usually one metre designs have an outer diameter of about one and a half metres. This design is basically a two metre square and four and a half metres in length. Thea suggested an odd change in the design which means the plasma forms as a doughnut shape. The plasma is burnt from the middle and is spun into a vortex which seems to give a rather good efficiency value with the simulator."

"Are we to get install manuals to install these or are we to guess what goes where Adastra?"

"I have no idea about manuals Silana, sorry. They are water fed so that and the power connections should be obvious. The main control boards are wired the same except one of the old unused connections is used to run the electrolysis system to make oxygen when the thruster is not running. That was Samalya's suggestion and I can see it being useful."

"I can as well as it allows me to remove this." Silana deletes one of the two standby oxygen generation systems. "I can just about get the thrusters in the spaces we left for them Sam if they are two by two by four and a half cubes."

"They fit in that space Silana, it is a case-less design which I hope is ok."

"Whoever came up with cased small thrusters needs to try installing them in cramped shuttles, they make my life much more difficult. It also allows me to make these changes." Silana adds some more transparent ceramic ducts around the base of the thruster space.

"Adastra, I was keen to hear about docking fees as you seem to know more than I do."

"Sorry Fosanta. Sam the ship will cost more to dock but since you are not paying for the thrusters then it will be less expensive to run than a ship with ion thrusters."

"So let me get this right, ion thrusters are cheap to make, cheap to dock, more expensive to run. Plasma thrusters are expensive to make, more expensive to dock but cheap to run?"

"It depends on the ion thruster Sam but smaller models use argon which is much more expensive than water. The larger models tend to use hydrogen but they degrade quickly when used in an atmosphere containing oxygen or chlorine and so need to be checked and repaired or replaced regularly." Sam nods.

"All this goes over my head."

"I apologise for that Kate." Sam's Omni-tool beeps cutting him off a little.

_Sam,_

_Attached is the model for the thrusters which Armali have provided us with on your request. The specifications look strange to us and the design is not known. We will however cover their cost if you wish to implement them in your design. If you hand over the design for the passenger transport by Saturday evening then the ship should be physically complete by next weekend. I am sure Silana will tell you what needs doing after physical construction and that is what I would like you to do in your spare time._

_Olissa_

"Well it seems Armali are fair with their special order pricing as Sentix are to cover it. Either that or there is some other agreement I do not know about." Sam forwards the message to Silana so she gets a copy of the 3d model to place in the design. "Silana you should have a copy of the thruster design in your inbox." She makes a quick check and imports the thruster into the design.

"I must apologise Sam for me not realising this earlier. Usually the delivery time for small ships is four to six weeks but I realise now that Sentix have this hull almost complete in one of their storage hangers. That explains the speed of assembly."

"Getting leftovers sounds fun. I will make sure to have a good look around the hull to ensure I think it is fit for purpose. I might have to go in tomorrow to have a look."

"It used to be a sample to give individuals a feel for the size of the interior. They gutted the inside and reused most of the parts but it has never flown and has never been fully assembled."

"Silana, I just want to know here are no extraneous holes in the hull frame which could affect the ships integrity. I understand it is highly improbable but I would feel happier knowing it is solid and reliable." Silana nods before getting back to tweaking the design. "Can I ask if there is any news about the event?"

"We have not got many replies back yet from our messages we sent out after last Sundays meeting. I would say it would have to be next week when we sort out that event information."

"To be honest Fosanta, between feeling unwell and having to sort job contracts with Sentix I have forgotten to ask the councillor if she would wish to attend."

"We understand that Sam. I did get a reply back from Serrice University and their media production department." Sam gestures Adastra to continue. "They said it would be a good project for their end of year assignments and so Castarla has agreed to offer to help us if we can give her some idea what we would need."

"What we would need in what way Adastra?"

"More specifically what Athya would need for her video as they are willing to go from set design to the finished article. I will send you a copy of her message and her details so you can contact her directly."

"That sounds ok to me. Have you two decided what you are to do?"

"We agreed on something simple Sam. All we will really need is a room and some chairs which I assume they already have around somewhere."

"It seems we will have to have a talk to make some decisions then. Did she say how many students she has Adastra?"

"Six Sam. I know it is not the largest number ever but they seem keen to help." Sam opens his Omni-tool and finds the calendar.

"Well I would assume we would probably need a week on Thessia so I guess we could meet her on Monday the thirteenth. I guess they would need some time to produce everything and I also think I should visit Galactic Acceptance at some time to explain everything, possibly on the Thursday. Does anyone think we would not be able to complete what we need in three days?"

"Well we need promotional posters, videos for the event, advertisements and a media pack making Sam. I guess the posters and the media pack could be fairly quick to complete as they only need a couple of photos. I am still worried about the advertisements as I am not sure how this will be promoted."

"I am not even sure we will get advertising space for free Kate. What I would use is interviews for advertising and hope the broadcaster runs their own announcements of the event being broadcast. Funnel everyone to the extranet site that can be so they can pre-book which should allow check-in to be much quicker."

"I must mention something Olissa asked me Sam. She said a thousand check-in desks working at one individual per minute would take over four hours to get everyone into the hanger."

"If someone can think of a way we can confirm pre-bookings that is essentially free then I would quite like to hear it."

"There are a number of things that are very inexpensive Sam but when you get to needing two hundred and fifty thousand of them it adds up to quite a lot. It would depend on how much a ticket was going to be."

"I have no idea what is reasonable given I have an over paid job. Anyone got ideas?"

"Council space minimum is currently eighty credits an hour. If the event is fairly lengthy and has a good enough line-up then about two hundred and fifty credits should be reasonable. Servants will be stopped with that amount as will some from the terminus systems but the latter will mean less of a security issue."

"I can see no real objection to that price as it is a charity event and if the show is good then it would be a good deal. Does anyone think we should have a reduced ticket price for individuals who can prove they are in a servitude contract?"

"I think it would be fair Sam as servants never tend to get to these events."

"Athya is correct Sam, they are usually too expensive or too impractical to try and get time to go."

"I am trying to think of a way to give at least some the opportunity to come without benefiting the owner as they are the ones who can afford the cost. Ok I have an idea; we should pre-register servants on the Thursday to reduce queues on the Saturday. Servants can turn up with their contracts to get a ticket for twenty five credits. The terms are you must have been in a contract for at least six months, whether previous or current and they must have agreement from their owner. It would be helpful if the owner was there but I am sure we could find a way around that."

"It will be the agreement which will be difficult Sam."

"I understand that Silana but it is the best that can be offered. We are already removing all those people who must work every day, those which do not get paid or just token amounts and those with difficult owners. To facilitate all this what I would probably say is to allow up to a two hundred thousand to be pre-booked, say ten thousand to be reserved for on the day plus any that are not sold to servants or pre-booked."

"I think that is an overestimation of servants Sam."

"It probably is Fosanta but it does give us a good worst case scenario amount of credits that should be brought in from tickets." Sam opens his Omni-tool and works out that would be. "So fifty three and a half million credits would be the minimum if the ticket price is two hundred and fifty."

"I am sure an event this size could get more than that Sam." Kate thinking that is a good start but there could be more eked out of it.

"Kate that is just from the tickets, I am sure we could get some donations from people watching the video stream but even forty five million after costs would likely be enough for Galactic Acceptance to get a centre here in Nos Astra. I am sure given it is Illium that extra donations would keep it running for years."

"That sounds fairly good. I do however think we should be leaving for the day as it is getting late." Seliha seemingly getting an itch to make a move.

"You are all welcome to come around here tomorrow if you wish to."

"Possibly Sunday. We could go to Eternity as well."

"I like the sound of that Seliha." Sam thinking he could do with a drink as well after this week.

"We will see you three then on Sunday. It has been helpful to get some more things sorted out for the event. I am glad you two are feeling better and you all seem happy with your contracts that you have agreed with Sentix."

"I appreciate you worrying about us Fosanta, I guess you all did but it is all fine. Just a little longer in bed tonight to make up for the sleep we lost at the beginning of the week."

"Have a good day tomorrow Sam."

"I will Kate. I hope you all do as well." They nod before leaving the room. "Silana, can you explain now why you are adding all of those transparent ducts?"

"I would explain with a long story but I have seen removable panels blown from their housings if a gas tank ruptures. I would not like to be standing on one if that ever happens. Given that and the fact that the space is cramped I would rather have straight, fairly narrow ducts to crawl and do maintenance through, than have to weave through, and over, pipe work and cabling, some of which is usually live and barely insulated."

"I understand Silana but how big are these ducts?"

"Half a metre in both dimensions Sam. I know it is not much but there is hardly any space at all, especially around the thrusters and the element zero cores at the back. Can I ask why you have used three cores? Is it because you liked the ASL Enlighten's design as that used a similar layout, if I remember correctly?"

"It did but I also looked at the price list and it began to make sense why it works. It seems mass effect core prices are in bands with one core in each being relatively cheaper, I guess because that is a standard part. If you have the split the core because of space then yes it works out cheaper than one larger one but not by much. Go to three though and the price drop is rather substantial as it seems to use the next standard smaller part."

"I guess it is not common because smaller cores need more regular discharging and you have more wiring to complete along with a slightly more complex drive system. I cannot see those issues being a major problem for a small transport ship however."

"I do not think it will be a problem for us at least Silana. Can I ask how long it will take to finish the ship off? I guess from Olissa saying we should work on it in our free time that we will not be getting much help."

"I guess it will be physically complete for us Sam and we have to connect all the parts up. We should be provided with all the installation and maintenance manuals we need. I guess if all three of us are working on it then perhaps ten days or so but that is only if everything else is functionally in the right place. Some of the non-critical communication is wireless which means the most time consuming parts will be power, terminating the fibre optics and plumbing in things like the toilet and shower along with ventilation."

"That is going to be a long ten days Silana."

"It is not the most comfortable working environment I admit Sam, but it is not that bad as there is lighting in there."

"I will explain why I think that later. You look like you are nearly finished?"

"I am actually Sam. Do you approve of the design as I could send it to Sentix this evening?" Sam gently moves Amistathya off his knee and walks a couple of paces forward to have a better look. After a thorough look he decides it seems good enough to go. "You can send it if you wish Silana. I think I need an earlier night tonight Silana so, after some food I think I may head to bed."

"I guess you would like to catch up on the sleep you missed at the beginning of the week as well Athya?"

"I would."

"I will finish off in here and also make sure I ask Olissa to let you view the hull tomorrow. Sleep well." Sam and Amistathya nod and leave the room, leaving Silana to finish off the organising.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"You remember back when you said we should go somewhere on our own Kate?" Fosanta asking as the two of them walk into the bedroom from the bathroom.

"I do, as I still feel we need to."

"I agree, especially for you after this week. I was thinking perhaps the week before we go to Thessia. We could go to the Citadel for a few nights. I will have to be back for the Saturday for testing but it would give enough notice to Usarta."

"If we are to do that then can I recommend we come back on the Thursday? I am weary we will be travelling to Thessia on the Sunday and it would be quite a bit of travelling in a short space of time." Kate gets into bed with Fosanta and settles down.

"If we leave on the sixth and come back on the ninth would that be ok? It will not give us too long there but to be fair the Citadel is not all that large."

"It will still be a nice break away from work and here. Do you know what are we to do tomorrow?"

"I feel that you would like a day of browsing around Nos Astra Kate. I am sure the commandos will be fine with that idea."

"I would definitely like that. Anyway goodnight Fosanta." Kate shuffles across to give her a short kiss.

"Sleep well." Kate nods with a smile before Fosanta turns off the light.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I guess we should think about what items you need for the video Ami. Castarla seems to want as much time as possible." Sam looking up from reading the message on his Omni-tool.

"I am not sure. While I think I would just about be comfortable showing my markings if I need to I am not sure how comfortable I would be with re-enacting my past."

"I get your point as it could be a little difficult. Since Adastra and Seliha seem to want to do an interview style video, how about we do something similar?"

"I am not sure I get what you mean."

"Well my initial idea is a few rooms on a corridor each of which is a key point in your past. We could them walk down the corridor as we discuss your past in roughly the right order. We could if you were happy enough then put in images of you how you would have been in that setting in the past in the video later. It would mean we could provide you with reassurance during the shoot to make you comfortable as it would only be a few static images and no sound."

"I think I could cope with that. I think we only really need two, perhaps three rooms, Omega, Atansys and Galactic Acceptance. I would rather not state how I ended up being a servant, specifics of my time at logistics company or any medical settings and medical issues in detail."

"I think three rooms is a large undertaking anyway Ami and we only need a small amount of video. I think we need to create a list tomorrow of what is needed for each." The blue one nods before giving Sam a hug. "I know you do not like those memories Ami and I hope you do not feel forced to do this."

"I do not Sam. It is just thinking of things that will be needed makes me feel weird."

"We just need to get this over with quickly tomorrow and then it can be forgotten about for a while. If you cannot sleep then do say so."

"I will." Sam strokes her folds before cuddling up to her in bed and turning the light off.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong>

**A simple and short chapter. Next weeks chapter will be posted on either Sunday 14th October or Monday 15th October due to my birthday being on Saturday.**

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter.**


	49. Chapter 49 : Bonding

**Chapter 49 - Bonding**

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday 18th February 2017<strong>

Adastra and Seliha walk into the kitchen to find Kate and Fosanta just finishing their breakfast. "Good morning you two. What are your plans today?" Seliha looks to Adastra for an answer.

"Well I would quite like to try this new bioamp out at some time Fosanta. Possibly in the garden as it looks like a nice day. I guess you two have something planned?"

"We were thinking of a shopping trip into Nos Astra. It may be nice to see if I can get something else to wear as I am a little bored with my fairly limited selection."

"I would advise you to be careful Kate as some items can become transparent as they warm up."

"Really?" Kate looking to Fosanta.

"I have seen them before but they are not that common Kate. Adastra's advice is sound though as you should at least check each item carefully as some may expose areas you may not be comfortable doing so."

"You make it sound like it is going to be awful Fosanta. Just something basic would be nice."

"We will see what you can get when we get there Kate. Are you ready to leave now?"

"I am. I will see you both later." Adastra and Seliha nod as Kate and Fosanta leave.

"Since we have the house to ourselves we should have some fun."

"The items we got from Nos Astra when we went for the evening together Seliha and the dining room." Seliha seems pleased with that idea given the broad smile on her face.

"I love your wild ideas at times." Seliha moves her chair a little closer to Adastra as she continues to eat her breakfast.

"I would still like to do some testing with this new bioamp at some time but that can wait. I want some fun for a change."

"I feel the same Adastra."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Hello Sam, Athya. How are you both this morning?"

"I feel good, I am glad this week is over to be honest though Silana. I guess Hymara and Lianta are not up yet?"

"Not yet Sam."

"That is ok. I thought it would be good to sort out a number of outstanding issues today."

"Issues like what Sam?" Amistathya sounding a little worried.

"Maybe issues was the wrong word Ami. Silana needs to decide on her method of identification, I thought it would be nice to see what was in your box that you made up. I also feel it is only fair of me to show you the jet engine that powered my computer on the Enlighten." Amistathya seems to get a little giddy about that opportunity.

"As I said yesterday Sam, I am happy enough with something similar to what Athya has."

"I will sort it out in a minute once I have finished this." Sam pointing to the bowl with the spoon. Silana nods and patiently waits for Sam and Amistathya to finish. "I think the storage room would be best to sort all this out." Sam gets up and walks there with Amistathya and Silana following him. Amistathya locks the door after Silana has entered. Sam pulls a piece of rope out of one of the boxes before taking a seat on the floor. "Silana, if you could kindly sit on the floor in front of me facing away from me I would appreciate it." Silana does as she is asked and Sam measures her neck before beginning to braid the piece of rope.

"Would you like me to bring my box over Sam?" Amistathya feeling like she needs to be doing something.

"Please Ami. Just place it next to me and I will look when I am finished." She goes to her little section of boxes and finds the right one before bringing it over and placing it to the left of Sam. She kneels down next to Sam and watches the rope being weaved into shape. Sam soon seems happy with the design and ties it in place around Silana's neck. Sam ensures the knot is not going to come undone before cutting the excess off. "You will have to tell me if it is uncomfortable Silana as I could easily make slightly differently. You can turn around if you wish." Silana does so and has a feel with her hand before moving her head.

"I have grown used to the light fabric strips Sentix use Sam so I can feel the bulk of the rope. It however is not restricting my movement or tight so I am happy with it." Sam shuffles back a little and pulls Amistathya's box to sit in front of him.

"I am glad that you are happy with it Silana. While I admit it is a little more obvious on you than on Ami given your slightly greener skin colour, it looks good." Silana nods with a smile seemingly waiting to see it for herself. "Let me see what sky blue put in the box." Sam opens the top and goes rummaging around before laughing.

"What is so funny Sam?" Silana curious. Sam closes the box up.

"Do you trust us Silana?"

"I do Sam but I am a little worried now as to why you are asking."

"Would you be willing to be Ami's servant for the day?"

"If that is what you wish Sam then yes." Sam looks to Amistathya who has a smile on her face.

"I have not shown you what is in my other two boxes yet Sam but I would quite like to see the jet engine first." Sam gets up and goes to the corner and takes a few boxes off the top of the larger box.

"Can I have some help as it weighs a bit?" The two blue ones help Sam lift the engine out of the box, the stainless steel casing a blue black colour from the heat when it was used on the Enlighten. "I will explain in brief what it does. The air goes in the front and gets compressed. This compressed air is then used to burn fuel and the high pressure gas is used to drive a turbine. The turbine shaft turns the alternator to make electricity and the hot gas goes through this heat exchanger to cool the gas and reduce the noise made."

"I have seen something similar in a museum Sam. I think that one used liquid fuel, I see yours uses gas."

"Actually it can use either Silana but I had it using hydrogen on the Enlighten hence why it has the gas inlet open." Amistathya seemed more interested in carefully spinning the compressor blades around.

"I guess this is your species level of technology?"

"My computer in the other room would be more representative of the standard technology available Silana. This is more something based on old principles and is certainly not efficient. It does the job and that is about it."

"I understand. It seems Athya is more interested in looking inside." She looks up to Sam and Silana before smiling.

"I cannot see much other than more blades but it is very smooth."

"If it was not it would shake itself apart Ami. Also there are five sets of blades in the compressor so I doubt you would be able to see through." She nods and gives the blades another spin before standing up. "Are you going to show me what is in your other two boxes now Ami?"

"I will." She goes over to where she has stacked her boxes and opens the top most one before taking out three items that were individually packed in transparent packets. "You seemed to appreciate the design of my transparent dress Sam and I found it comfortable to wear. I did have the option of making a third so I made it a little larger than my own measurements as I thought it would make a good gift Sam."

"Is that of the same design as well Ami?" She nods. "I am not sure who else would appreciate it in that case as Kate did not seem too interested and she is quite similar in size to you."

"It is a very similar design Sam." Amistathya opens the first packet and unfurls the first of her new dresses. It was a little less shocking than her other two but no less intriguing. The basic colour was blue however it had small yellow lines in it which matched her collar. There was a swirl that curls around from her chest around the body to the bottom of the skirt at the right hand side the swirl itself just making the blue and the yellow lighter in colour.

"I like the design Athya. Do you make these yourself?"

"I do and to be honest they are quite simple to make Silana. Do you like it Sam?"

"It is less over the top than the other two but it still seems you." Amistathya smiles before carefully folding it up and putting it to one side. She gets out the second one from its packet and unfurls it to reveal a plain black dress. She laughs at Sam's confusion.

"Is this a plain one for more common occasions Athya?" She shakes her head to Silana who looks as confused as Sam. "But it is plain Athya."

"Does it turn a different colour in sunlight or something?" Sam trying to think what would make it different. Amistathya moves her hand to show a multicoloured hand print, red where it had been warmed up the most then yellow, green and blue before going back to black as it cooled. "Now I really like that design. It is very much you."

"Thank you Sam."

"I am just trying to think what it would look like when you are wearing it Athya. I guess the skirt will be black or blue and your top half yellow and red?"

"I do not know myself to be honest. They had the option available for this material and thought I should try it. The third design is transparent except for three stripes of this material which covers the breasts and between the legs."

"Well that rules out Adastra or Seliha getting it then Ami. I doubt either of them will wish to show their markings."

"I hope you do not mind me asking to at least look at it as I have not seen a transparent dress before even if it is just a partial one." Amistathya nods before opening up the third packet and unfurls it to reveal exactly as she had described.

"Would you like to try it on? Sam does have a point in that I doubt Seliha or Fosanta would want it and Adastra will not." Amistathya smiling towards Silana.

"Silana I am staying here until you make a decision as I need to make sure Ami does not force you."

"I was only offering Silana the possibility Sam." Amistathya trying to sound a little hurt but clearly faking it.

"The smile on your face makes it hard for me to believe you Ami."

"I will try it on Athya."

"I feel you may need Ami's help in that case Silana, given the difficulty I had getting Ami out of her transparent one I guess getting in is not all that easy either. I will make a drink for when you both get back to the kitchen area." Sam leaves the room and Silana turns to Amistathya.

"What did Sam mean by it not being easy to get you out?" Amistathya turns the dress around and opens up the hole.

"It is just a little fiddly given this is where you get in and out of. It works well Silana and it is much more comfortable than you think." She folds the dress into three and holds it out to Silana who takes it but looks a little confused. Amistathya grabs a bottle out of another box. "It is better if we go to the bathroom Silana as things can get a little messy." Amistathya walks towards the door and Silana seemed to grasp she is to leave and follow her as well. Sam gives them a nod as they walk past the kitchen.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I guess this is not going to be piles of clothes and you get to look at and pick which you want physically."

"Some places are like that Kate but most on Illium are a holographic booth which projects various clothing onto you and then you collect your choice at the order desk. You would probably love going around some of the smaller market alleys in Serrice. You can quite literally find everything and you have the chance to physically look at and most places will tend to be accommodating to various sizes as well."

"That is something I have not considered. Since I seem to be a little shorter than most Asari it could be a problem."

"You are only the same size as Amistathya Kate so I think you will be ok. There is some variation in clothing sizes just do not expect more than five and typically three from smallest to largest."

"I guess I will be looking at small then?"

"You will Kate. I will be with you if you need any help at all."

"You will likely have to look around for bras which will fit you as they tend not to do larger cup sizes on their smaller lines as it is very rare for smaller Asari to have larger than average breasts Kate."

"I appreciate that Yasmari. I understand that I may be a difficult case in some situations given I am not an Asari. I was however intending to look for some underwear so that comment was helpful to me."

"I would recommend waiting until you go to Thessia for dresses Kate unless you find one you particularly like. I admit they are generally more expensive but you can find some very creative designs and usually at the smaller stores you can speak to the actual designer. It can be quite interesting where they get their inspiration from."

"I will do that Selayla. I just want some basic items for work that are not too smart. Usarta has not expressed that I should wear a dress which is good for me as I am more comfortable like I am."

"We should be there in a minute anyway." Fosanta saying from the pilots seat to the shuttles occupants.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Amistathya helps Silana slide the dummy amplifier into place. "You should have a look at yourself in the mirror Silana." Amistathya standing back and smiling. Silana walks over to the mirror in a slightly self conscious manner before having a look.

"I do have to say I really like the look even if it does have its drawbacks."

"I think the bit of yellow and orange on the stripes just suit you Silana. Are you happy to go down stairs to show Sam?" Silana has a final look in the mirror before nodding. The two of them leave and head downstairs to just find Sam at the table.

"You look rather appealing Silana but what is more important is what you think."

"I like the look Sam; I am not sure I am sold on it being impossible for me to remove by myself though."

"I guess you get used to that Silana but I would not know. How do you like your collar anyway?"

"It is certainly something different which is nice Sam. As you said it is a little more obvious on me but it is not like it is bright green like my old one was."

"That did look a little silly on you I have to admit. Anyway Hymara and Lianta have gone out to some shooting range or something with Imphaya and Aumarva so they will not be back for a while. I guess lunch and then Sentix to view the hull."

"I like the sound of that Sam. Silana are you happy to wear that to Sentix?"

"Ermm." She looks down at her body. "I am not sure Olissa will be too impressed."

"You do not need to impress Olissa now Silana. She is no longer your owner and it is not like you are exposing anything that anyone could consider inappropriate."

"You have a point and I keep forgetting you are my owner now. You treat me so well it is very easy to forget so I apologise Sam." He laughs a little.

"It is not a problem Silana as I understand it may take a few days for you to settle. I do however think Ami would quite like an answer to her question."

"I will Athya but I will be unwilling to look at the hull with you Sam."

"Can I ask why?"

"I cannot wear a harness with this given the skirt Sam. After I fell and cut my back I would rather not work on unfinished ships without one."

"That is fair enough. I guess given it sounds like you did not have one prior to the accident that Sentix do not provide them?"

"You are correct Sam as it would cost them millions to do so and then have ongoing costs for new rope. It costs them less to have some servants under the ship to biotically catch fallers." The three of them begin to make lunch.

"I think I will have to see about getting one tomorrow as I would rather look after myself than hope someone who is barely getting paid is paying attention below. I guess getting one in a design that suits me could be a challenge though."

"I could always design one for you Sam." He considers the offer for a few moments.

"Now that would be a nice idea but only if I can approve the design Ami as I know you too well." Amistathya nods. "I have a feeling it will not be here for Monday so I guess getting some rope from Nos Astra tomorrow would suffice."

"I am going to have to move my belongings out of my room at Sentix sometime soon Sam. Olissa has not mentioned a time yet but I guess sooner would be better."

"We have extra room in the skycar given Hymara and Lianta are out so we could bring a few things back with us this afternoon."

"I like that idea."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate and Fosanta walk in to the house with several bags to find Adastra and Seliha on the seats looking quite happy with themselves. "I guess you two have had a good morning."

"We have Kate. My bioamp is a little strange this time Fosanta so your test data on your sensors could be a bit unexpected."

"Why do you say that Adastra?"

"Well it seems the amplifier turns the passive limiter into an active one at times."

"Well to be honest that is for the amplifier specialists such as Seliha and Whesiva to solve for you Adastra. I am however interested in what the issue may be though."

"I will have to wait on the test data to speculate." Fosanta nods to Seliha. "How was your morning?"

"It is quite difficult to get anything nice but basic to be honest unless you like white. Also we definitely have a reporter problem now as I think they have worked out that we are together."

"How bad were they Kate as Sam has not complained much since coming back from the Citadel?"

"It was the fact they followed us everywhere which got annoying. Kalawa, Swathana, Selayla and Yasmari seemed rather busy keeping an eye on them and trying to keep them away from us. I was also made aware to keep opinions and plans to a minimum as that would likely to become tomorrow's news."

"It is quite different to what I have been used to before Adastra. You two may not be too bad as I think they are more interested in Kate and Sam."

"If one of them annoys me too much then I hope I can resist the temptation to injure them."

"I am sure you can Seliha. So what did you get then Kate?"

"Mostly t-shirts and trousers for work as I do not have many good things and I do have to be somewhat presentable. I listened to your advice earlier about being careful for things going transparent. I did not find any but the amount of clothing which was a little revealing was surprising."

"It is worse on Thessia for the nice items Kate but there is much more choice so it is possible to avoid with a bit of searching. I have only had one dress other than the one Sam got me because of my markings and the amount they revealed. I have been tempted to do the same as Athya did and rent some time on a rapid manufacturing machine but to get the most out of them for intricate designs you ideally need machine specific software which none of the fabrication houses seem to offer."

"So how do people use them if the software does not work?"

"It would be fine to make baggier clothing Kate but getting something like Athya made takes quite a few manual adjustments to make right. I guess Athya knows what to change to get the best out of them. You are also limited in your material choice and I quite like natural fabrics as especially on Illium or equatorial areas of Thessia the temperature can get rather warm."

"I understand Adastra. Still I should not need to get much more for a while now." She nods to Kate. "So did you just try out your bioamps?"

"No we also took advantage of there being no one around. I think we wiped all the mess off the table."

"Why the dining room table Seliha?" Fosanta wondered why they could not stick to their bedroom or their bathroom.

"It was Adastra's idea." Kate wondered whether the innocence from Seliha was real or fake.

"It was, I apologise to you both but it was a good opportunity to not be limited to the bedroom since everyone was out. I also really enjoyed it for a change and I think Seliha did as well."

"I best put my clothes away and make sure the table is clean then."

"I will make a drink for you both." Kate and Fosanta nod to Adastra before they take their bags upstairs.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Silana lands the skycar close to the main entrance of Sentix Spaceworks. "I am feeling rather nervous now actually."

"You will be fine Silana, just know you look good." She nods to Amistathya and the three of them make their way down a floor. They walk through the double doors into the reception area.

"Good afternoon you three. Olissa said I should expect you to arrive to view the potential hull for your transport ship. I admit it is a little, different, to see you not as a servant Silana."

"I guess you mean not as a Sentix servant Omepha."

"Yes my apologies. Your dress is rather intriguing." Silana nods.

"I see you are already enjoying your new contract Silana." A voice distinctly like Olissa's came from behind them. The three of them look around as she walks past.

"It is Athya's design and she wondered if I wished to try it on. I quite like the look to be honest Olissa."

"As long as you do not intend on working in a dress then I do not mind as long as you are reasonably modest."

"Surely you should be telling me this Olissa not Silana? I do however have no intention in asking her to work in a dress."

"I have got used to Silana being one of ours Sam, sorry. Anyway I have some news for you. The hull we intended to offer had a structural flaw. It was not found when it was made as it was to be a demonstration ship only. Your ship is to be built in manufacturing three and you can go and see it if you wish."

"When did Sentix start building ships in manufacturing Olissa?" Silana obviously confused.

"To manufacture a passenger transport from nothing to a bare ship ready to be wired, plumbed and decorated takes between ten and thirty days usually as there are a lot of parts that need connecting together. We have a larger ship coming in on Thursday for new thrusters, a bit of damage repair and an aesthetic overhaul. We will likely need manufacturing three to make the parts for this ship but since the current work we have is only occupying manufacturing one and two we felt it was viable to produce your transport as one main part."

"I see Silana is still confused but I have three questions. The first is why do you not do this more often? The second is will it be to the same standard and finally when will it be complete?"

"It should be complete and in a hanger on Thursday Sam. We are just hoping Armali deliver the thrusters on Monday to be installed. The quality will be the same as our usual parts so you do not need to worry about that. We do not offer such rapid builds to clients because we can usually be manufacturing parts for several ships on the same manufacturing machine at the same time. This way we are blocking use to an entire machine for five days for just one ship. Having more than one ships parts being made at a time also gives us flexibility to manufacture spares for urgent repairs in between other parts."

"I can see the logic and reasoning behind that. I just have two more questions. The first is the design file only included a colour option for exterior hull decoration but nothing else therefore how does that work? The second is Silana pointed out that she still has not been able to move out of her living space that you gave her. When therefore does she need to have vacated it by?"

"You have until the end of the month. Please remember Sam that we are to cover costs to allow Silana to be with you. If you wish you can message Omepha with a list of items and we will come up with a fair amount to compensate you."

"I will do that when I get a spare moment later."

"Back to talking about your ship. Given the size of the fusion core and the heat generation of the thrusters we are to offer you a ribbed hull surface. This is made of porous ceramic by the manufacturing machine to allow us to add colours to it afterwards. You should get a design file from our design department early next week which you can change to your liking."

"Olissa you have not mentioned about the transport registration."

"Thank you for reminding me Omepha." She nods from behind the desk. "Sam your private passenger transport ship will have the designation SSPL-372032 but can also have a registered name listed alongside it. If you have an idea of one already you can specify it now or you can send it in a message to me before Monday."

"I have a suggestion of rapture for you both. I would like to hear what you two think or if you have an idea."

"What does it mean Sam?"

"To be transported to a positive place by, or the expression of, a strong positive emotion Ami. Why I thought of that word first out of the thousands I could have picked from I do not know but I feel it fits well."

"I like it as well Sam. What do you think Silana?"

"It means nothing to me Athya as I do not know the language it originates from. Given the definition it sounds appropriate however."

"Is that an agreement from the two of you then?" The two of them nod, Silana being a little less enthusiastic. "I think we have an agreement on rapture then Olissa. I think you can nearly spell it as it sounds in Asari but my pronunciation skills are not that good."

"You are correct in that I can get a spelling that is close to how it sounds. I will attempt to register the transport as SSPL-Rapture but if not it would have to be an alias."

"I appreciate that. I think we best have a quick look at the ship before making our way back as it is getting late."

"Have a good weekend you three. I am sure you can find your own way to manufacturing three."

"I am sure we can Olissa." She nods before leaving the reception area. "Great I forgot to ask what SSPL means."

"Sentix Spaceworks Passenger Liner Sam. The numerics are formed from the number of years we have been producing ships and the sequential numbering of ships in the year. We only produce about a hundred and fifty transports per year as we specialise more in larger ship construction and general maintenance."

"I appreciate the detailed explanation Omepha. I will likely see you again on our way out."

"You should." Sam nods before the three of them go through to doors to the side of the reception desk into the long corridor. They take a smaller transportation vehicle and follow the signs on the wall to manufacturing three.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Silana gets the three of them through the security door and into the observation area of manufacturing three. They walk through onto a balcony overlooking a large manufacturing hall, the giant printer making a low rumble throughout the room as it moves around.

"Well this is an impressive sized manufacturing machine."

"Manufacturing two is much more impressive and has two heads but this is probably the largest single head machine on Illium."

"You could probably produce an entire house in here." Silana laughs.

"Probably more than one considering the printing area is fifty by thirty by thirty metres Sam. These machines produce parts for the hangers when they need repair."

"I do not blame Sentix for doing that as it is undoubtedly cheaper then buying in pre-made material." Silana nods in agreement as the three of them lean over the rail looking down at the printing area.

"Can I ask what it is making?"

"It is making a mould along with the lower half of the hull Athya. It is needed to hold it off the ground and to provide a base. This mould will just separate from the hull once it is complete."

"It is impressively quick at moving around which is surprising considering it must weigh a lot."

"If you look carefully on the head and movement beams you will see black boxes which are small element zero cores Sam."

"Ahh, so it is essentially just air resistance it has to work against?"

"I do not know the answer to that Sam. It may just reduce the weight a bit to make it more accurate."

"Well it is interesting to watch but it is not going to be finished before we have to leave so we may as well go back to the apartment."

"Am I going to get to go to collect some items from my room?"

"Of course Silana." She nods and the three of them walk out of manufacturing three.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am a bit bored of sitting around the house in an evening. What would you say to an evening in Nos Astra Seliha?"

"I think I would be interested in that offer. Do you have an idea where?" Adastra shakes her head and Seliha thinks for a few moments. "How about going to Essence?"

"I guess that is more of a bar with a dance floor venue?"

"It is but I am bored of Eternity."

"To be fair I am as well. Imphaya and Aumarva are somewhere this evening with Hymara and Lianta so which of the other two pairs would you prefer Seliha?"

"Ideally neither but it you have to have someone then I am not bothered as long as you speak to them before we leave."

"I can do that Seliha. I will go and see which of them would like to go with us." She nods and Adastra gets up from the sofa to go to the other house. Adastra walks out of the door to see Selayla, Swathana, Kalawa and Yasmari in the garden so she walks over to them. "I guess you got bored of being inside?"

"We have a garden and we may as well appreciate it Adastra. Could I ask if you need us for something?"

"Unfortunately I do Kalawa. Seliha and myself would quite like to go to Essence which Seliha says is more of a nightclub. Which of you would like to come along with us since Imphaya and Aumarva are elsewhere?"

"I would be rather keen to do so Adastra." Selayla obviously sensed an opportunity to do something different.

"I think myself and Selayla would be willing Adastra. We have been warned in the past by Hymara and Lianta to keep an eye on Seliha. Is that still the case?"

"All you need to do is protect us from other individuals Kalawa. Seliha however wished me to say please let her do as she wishes unless it hurts others."

"I think we can be reasonable and non-intrusive since you are not going to be with Kate or Sam Adastra."

"I will be back in a few minutes then. I just need to get Seliha." Kalawa nods and Adastra makes her way past the pond back to the house. She walks in to find Fosanta and Kate with Seliha in the seating area.

"I have heard you are going out. I guess that means you need to borrow some security?"

"That is where I have just been Fosanta. Selayla and Kalawa said they would be willing to go with us. You are both welcome to come along to the nightclub as well if you wish."

"I think we will be fine Adastra." Seliha gets up from her seat and walks to Adastra.

"I hope you both have a good evening and do not cause to much trouble for Selayla and Kalawa."

"They assured me they would be non-intrusive which is certain to lead to an easy night Fosanta. It is likely we will be late back so I hope you both have a good evening."

"I am sure we will. I look forward to hearing about your evening tomorrow."

"We will see what happens Fosanta." The two of them leave the house.

"I think a seat upstairs with a drink would make a change rather than being down here with little to do." Kate nods and the two of them go into the kitchen to make their drinks.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"You did not have much in the way of personal belongings did you Silana?"

"You cannot afford most things as a servant Sam and what you can you need to be extremely sure you will get a lot of use from. It is one of the reasons I only had a large datapad and barely anything else as most of what I wanted to do I could do on that."

"So your only entertainment was a datapad?"

"You appreciate what you have when you would otherwise have nothing Sam. I have had jobs where I have had nothing other than a sheet and a floor to sleep on, no bed or mattress. Sentix did at least provide the respectful minimum."

"I appreciate you telling me about that Silana. I guess you would like to take the dress off though?"

"I would but it is oddly comforting as well." Sam, Silana and Amistathya walk up the stairs to the bathroom.

"I think as long as you are happy with it then I think Ami will be happy it was not a waste making it."

"It has not been a waste Athya." Amistathya nods as Sam locks the door of the bathroom. "Someone is going to have to explain to me what to do to get out." Amistathya looks to Sam.

"I guess from Ami's expression that she will help get your head through and I will be the one helping your body out. I know from last weekend that you were not too comfortable in more intimate situations Silana. I have a funny feeling it is I help or you stay in the dress."

"I am ok with you helping Sam." He nods as Amistathya takes out the dummy bioamp.

"Adastra really hated her bioamp at first. Did you find it uncomfortable?"

"They really are uncomfortable at first Sam, especially if you have not worn them before but you do soon begin to ignore it. You are always unconsciously aware that it is there but it does not cause any annoyance. Since I have had one before it was only uncomfortable for the first hour or so."

"If you would bend over as I push my hands up your front Silana it will help your body slide out." Sam pushes his hands in either side of Silana's waist and begins to push his hands up her front. "I guess you can see why I warned you now Silana."

"I can." Silana keeping it brief probably because of Sam having his hands over her breasts. Amistathya helps Silana get her head through being mindful of the rope collar. Sam pulls her shoulders back and through the hole, her arms still half in the dress. "I now understand what you meant about it being difficult to remove." Silana tries to get her hips through the opening but as she bends over to slide her arms down her legs the material tightens. "I hate to ask but would one of you be willing to help me?"

"I will Silana." Sam slides his arms in and down either side of Silana's legs soon getting her hips through and letting her step out of the dress. "I was wondering why you asked me to help you with your dress Ami."

"It is the lubricant that makes it want to stay where it is Sam. Silana you look like you did last weekend."

"Sorry Athya. I am a little tentative as I am not sure expressing what I am feeling is appropriate."

"Silana please do express yourself as I feel it is better we are honest to each other."

"I am a little embarrassed as I hate to admit it but I feel a little aroused with you helping me Sam."

"At least you have the grace to admit that Silana. I have two questions before we get to considering your feelings. First is do you still have negativity towards having some more personal time with myself and Ami? The reason I ask is I think you would appreciate feeling a little more a part of the apartment family."

"I would like that Sam as long as it is fairly basic. It has been a while since I have had personal contact so something simple would be nice."

"I am sure you can handle what I am thinking of Silana. My second question is do you have anywhere other than the obvious that you like being touched?"

"Could you give a better description Sam?"

"Ami likes having the inside of her folds being delicately stroked. I was wondering if you had something similar."

"I quite like running my fingers down the back of my neck if that is what you mean. I need to warn you some Asari particularly hate others doing so Sam as some describe it as a choking feeling."

"I will remember that Silana. In regards to the first question my idea was to use the coloured markers that came with the ritual. I was just wondering if you would like to help draw on myself and Ami, and also be someone to be drawn upon."

"I would need some convincing in that case as I would really prefer not to have any marks put on my hands, neck or face.

"The rules I was thinking of are, no offensive imagery and no text of any kind. Nothing is to be drawn on the face or neck. I am looking at you particularly Ami as I know you would have done all three of those if you were allowed. I hope that makes you a little happier Silana." She nods.

"Who decides what is classed as offensive imagery Sam?"

"If the markings last less than three days I will let whoever is drawing decide Ami. If it is longer than that and I end up disapproving, it will be a long week for whoever made the markings. I hope that is clear."

"It is Sam. Silana are you thinking of joining us or would you rather decide tomorrow. I will give you a vibrator if you decide now."

"As long as it is nothing I can be too displeased with then I will Athya." She nods before leaving the bathroom. "I feel as if she enjoys being manipulative."

"Think about how I must feel at times Silana. You may be starting to understand now why I said being in the ducts on the transport with Ami may be a bit infuriating." Silana nods with a small smile. "I will leave you to enjoy yourself and have a shower. I will probably speak to you again in the morning so I hope you sleep well."

"I hope you do as well Sam." He nods and leaves to wait outside the bathroom for Amistathya to reappear from downstairs.

"I will meet you in the bedroom when you have finished Ami." She nods and Sam goes to his bedroom.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Could I ask why you are getting undressed?" Kate seems more confused than anything but does not seem to turn away.

"It feels right since we have the entire house to ourselves this evening and it is a Saturday." Kate sighs. "What is wrong Kate as you have been a little quiet this afternoon?"

"Nothing. It is just sometimes I wish I could feel more enthusiastic with you Fosanta."

"Would you like to explain a little better Kate?" Fosanta sounding a little worried.

"I just wish sometimes that I preferred females to males Fosanta. While you have a wonderful body I just cannot fully appreciate it and that makes me feel a little undeserving."

"Why do you feel depressed this evening Kate?" Kate sighs.

"I heard a child talking to her mother this morning while we were in Nos Astra. She was asking where her father was and her mother just said she found a new male partner. I am just a little frightened that the same may occur with me in a few years."

"You are not telling me something Kate. Are you having doubts about us?"

"No Fosanta. It was however a wake up to the odd partnership and also the fact I will never be a mother."

"I unfortunately have no helpful advice. I am not sure if the Asari Republics would like you to actually mother a child of your species Kate."

"I sometimes wonder if I made the right decision to come out here. I admit it has been a wonderful opportunity and a good experience but it is not quite like home."

"I think you should have a talk to Sam Kate. He may at least be able to at least give you a little comfort." She nods and goes to the console to set up a video call.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam just gets into the bedroom and his Omni-tool beeps at him. He looks down and sees that it is a video call from Kate which he accepts. "Hello Kate, sorry about me not wearing anything but I was just about to get into bed after having a shower." Sam laughs at Kate's expression. "I will put a t-shirt on if it makes you more comfortable."

"It is up to you Sam."

"I will not then as I will only have to take it off again. Can I ask why you video called me?"

"I am sorry but I am feeling a little alone out here if you understand what I mean. Fosanta suggested I should call you."

"I am well aware what you mean Kate, I have over the last couple of weeks felt the same at times. Can I ask what has caused you to reflect on this? Ami being ill was my cause so I hope it is not that Fosanta is ill."

"She is fine Sam. I just overheard a conversation this morning in Nos Astra which has made me sit back and think."

"And yet you have to call me and not talk this through with Fosanta. Do you have doubts about you two?"

"I had always intended to have a child at some time in my future and Fosanta would not be able to provide that. Given that and the fact it is a same gender relationship it just gives me some odd feelings." Sam ponders that for a moment as Amistathya walks through the door to the bedroom and looks towards the bed to see Sam sat up messing with his Omni-tool.

"Are you trying to find mute?"

"No I am talking to Kate Ami." Amistathya smiles and begins to strip off. "I have no idea what to really say Kate. I was just feeling lonely and a talk to Selayla and then Ami helped with that. I have no idea how to advise you and I am not sure that a human child would be a good idea until there are a few others with us. I mean if there are any complications at birth it would be difficult to provide the medical support for a species that is unknown."

"I understand that Sam. I just feel that coming out here was perhaps a rash decision, perhaps I am just not a pioneer." Amistathya gets on the bed and cuddles up to Sam. "Hello Athya. This is rather awkward seeing you two naked on a console screen."

"I guess it is rather like cheap porn." Sam puts his right arm behind Amistathya had gives her left breast a gentle squeeze.

"This can wait until tomorrow."

"I apologise Kate but it was too tempting and I know Ami does not mind." She nods in agreement when Kate looks to her.

"I will go back to your comment Kate and say that we are all pioneers in one way or another. Fosanta has also taken a step into the unknown with wanting to be with you."

"I think it is more difficult for Kate than it is for myself Ami as she is female. You are the only individual who knows if you can be happy with a female partner Kate as it would mean you playing more of a male role. The only advice I can give is you need to find a way to appreciate Fosanta. You need to make your wishes clear to Fosanta to help with that otherwise you will be left with a bland relationship that goes nowhere."

"I mean no offence Sam but I find males to be simple individuals and I am not sure I would be happy playing that role."

"Could I ask what you mean by simple Kate?"

"Easy to please Athya."

"Sam is easy to keep happy but not the easiest individual to please Kate. I very much doubt you are all that different really."

"Ami has a point and I think this week has just caused you be stressed Kate. I suggest that you need to relax and have a bit of quiet time with Fosanta this evening. I am not sure where I would be without some personal time together with Ami in a relaxing atmosphere. It could well be worth you trying it out."

"It is not that simple Sam."

"Just try this tonight Kate as it is worth a try. Grab a duvet, a drink, go to your top room and sit together naked on one of the large comfy chairs. All you then need to do is talk between the two of you what you would like from each other and what you like about each other."

"I will think about it."

"I will ask Fosanta tomorrow if you have Kate as Sam's suggestion is a good one. If you are anything like Sam you need physical interaction."

"I will talk to you both tomorrow."

"Have a good night Kate." She nods before ending the call. "I think Kate is just having a bit of an off few days at the moment."

"I feel that you are likely right, especially after what happened on Tuesday." Sam nods as he is still fiddling on his Omni-tool. "What are you doing now?"

"I am thinking about needing to have a talk with you while we are on the topic of quiet time together."

"What about Sam?"

"Well first while I complete this, I was confused as to why I had this slight anxious feeling while touching Silana's breasts. I thought I was getting over it after I had no real issue with you when getting you out of your transparent dress. I also had no issue at all now and I was wondering if you had an idea why."

"You knew exactly how to treat me from when you hugged me in bed. Your other three experiences were probably from a lack of interaction or a high expectation from them."

"I guess that makes sense. I will explain what I have been doing now. After we got the passenger transport from Sentix I looked at my republics profile at the assets tied to me. I was quite surprised to find I have the ability to modify some of them remotely. That got me wondering how interested you would be in me pressing this button." Sam pointing to a button labelled submit on the Omni-tool screen.

"I am not sure why you are asking me Sam."

"I thought you were the one wanting the contract ending and I was the one with doubts Ami?"

"Oh. While I would truly appreciate you doing so, you are the only individual who can make the decision Sam." A restrained giddiness just about slipping out with her words.

"I think I would like to hear what is likely to happen afterwards first. This contract has been my safety net from you at times and letting it go is a little scary for me Ami."

"I may be scary and unexpected at times Sam but I could never harm you and I will always look after you, I can promise you that. I would quite like to discuss a couple of other things after the contract has ended." She gives Sam a short kiss.

"I really hope this is a good thing." Sam presses the button before turning his arm so that Ami can see that the contract has been ended. "Would you be willing to say what you will and will not be doing now Ami?"

"Yes. I will keep the arm rule and the transparent clothing one Sam as the first is now a habit and the second I appreciate. The no chairs rule I feel is pointless now that Silana does not have it so that is going. You can still consider me as yours Sam and I will still try to do as you ask and not go against you. I also hope now that the contract has ended that you can find the courage to take advantage of me a little."

"I am a little less reluctant now that I cannot force you Ami. I am however worried as to what may happen to me though."

"I have two things to say Sam. The first is when we had that long meld on Monday night I took the time to make some changes. It helped take my mind off the pain and gave me some comfort for the future." Sam sighs.

"This is more what I was expecting." Amistathya smiles.

"Could I connect to you to show you what I have done?" Sam nods and closes his eyes.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am a little confused as to why you did not say embrace eternity?" Sam asking from his chair as the grey glow from the fire illuminates the area around him. The grey of the flames getting tinted with orange before the full colour makes itself known.

"I felt you were happy enough with me just giving you warning last time Sam. If you would rather I told you when I was to try to form a connection I can do so."

"It is ok Ami. I can prepare myself reasonably well as long as I know to expect it. You said you wished to show me what you have done? I can see you've added transparent doors to the bookshelves myself though."

"I have and I will explain why. I must first say that if anyone forcefully melds with you then critical information will become difficult to obtain as the doors will not open. This will leave you very confused and likely scared Sam. I hope that it never needs to happen and I need you to know that your mind will eventually reset everything back to normal afterwards. That however could take several days and a lot of frustration as you would only be able to regain access to so much at once."

"I guess that is so I cannot end up like your mother?"

"Yes Sam. I never want that happening to anyone that is close to me again. I do not want this to have a debilitating impact on you either Sam so I have also made copies of some critical data in uncritical areas and given you a rule to find it if you need to. This should mean if the locked shelving is removed because the individual cannot access what they are looking for, you would still understand basic words, emotions and some important people, places and objects. You will be very slow at accessing this data however so do not expect too much."

"You have spent a long time working out all the contingencies haven't you?"

"I had a lot of time alone trying to work out what happened and why. I have also given you a little bit of a hand in telling when an Asari is trying to manipulate you. I thought you my find it useful."

"Let me guess, it does not work with you though."

"What fun would that be Sam?" He shakes his head with a smile. "I will leave you to tell you about the second item I had on my mind." Ami leaves through the door.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Could I ask what you changed this time Ami?"

"Why do you think I have Sam?" Amistathya having a smile on her face.

"Your contract has ended and you have past form in doing so."

"I think paranoia is a sign of going insane Sam. I did not do anything tonight as you have freely ended my servitude contract of which I cannot be any more thankful to you for. All I wish to do this evening is to discus things with you, nothing more."

"You always seem so amazed that I do things for you Ami. You do however have a valid point about me being paranoid, although you do not help that problem." Amistathya smiles. "What is it you wished to talk about?"

"Well I am offering to still be yours and mostly do as you ask when you ask. I also have a rope collar to remind me of that. What would you wish to offer me Sam?"

"Well you already use my mind as a playground. You have used the fact I am me to get a decent job and somewhere to live and you are now no longer a servant. There is not much else I can offer. I am wondering what you are really wanting here Ami."

"The same as I offer you would be a nice gesture Sam." He has a think for a few moments.

"Ok I will offer myself to you Ami; however I wish to be sufficiently compensated for your use of me. Does that sound like a reasonable and likeable idea to you?"

"I would have done nothing less than to compensate you Sam as I doubt I will ever repay my debt to you. Can I however ask if I can use Silana as well?"

"I am sure I will regret this. I would like you to ask before doing so but I will try not to say no." Amistathya smiles before settling into bed. "I believe you said you were to design a harness for me Ami. I think doing so tomorrow morning would be good idea." Sam settles down in the bed.

"I will do that Sam. Are we to play with the markers before the others come and we go to Eternity?"

"As long as the nothing on the face or neck rule is definitely kept to then I think it would be ok to do so. Do sleep well." She licks Sam's nose before settling down in bed, a slight deviant smile on her face as Sam dries his nose. "You are going to wear out my nose at the rate you keep licking it." Amistathya laughs a little.

"Night Sam." He nods before turning the light off.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"So what did Sam have to say?" Fosanta walks back into the top room with a little trepidation.

"He and Athya said we should get a duvet, a drink and sit up here under the duvet, naked while talking about what we want from each other or what we like about each other."

"I like the sound of that suggestion actually which is a little surprising if it came from Athya. Would you be happy to do so Kate?" Fosanta smiling to at least try to entice Kate into agreeing.

"I said to Sam it was not that simple but I got the impression neither of them were to give me much choice so I will agree." Kate gets up from the console and walks downstairs with Fosanta to get the drink and the duvet.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Come on Kate." Fosanta pats the space on the chair next to her. Kate sits down and helps Fosanta pull the duvet up over the two of them.

"I still do not get how this helps."

"I guess all you need to do is talk and relax Kate." Fosanta puts her head on Kate's shoulder. "I will get the conversation started. I will just say that I would still like to keep you as a bondmate and have a daughter with you."

"I am really not sure what I can really say Fosanta. I just feel as if I have ended up settling with you because you are a good friend. I admit your brown eyes are soft and caring but I cannot shake this feeling of it being odd."

"Is there anything I can do to help that Kate?" Fosanta puts an arm around her. "I am more than willing to be patient and help you Kate but you do need to say what you want. You are the first female of your species any Asari has met and I have no idea what you may naturally like."

"I was meaning by odd in that I have to consider Asari my species Fosanta. I mean if I do not then I would not really feel a connection to any children we had."

"It is likely you may feel like it is always someone else's child Kate. It is usually more difficult for females of other species as they do not have a maternal feeling towards them which they naturally expect."

"You are not exactly making this a happy prospect Fosanta."

"Kate, you have stuck with me and been fairly restrained to this point unless tricked. I do not want to do that again as I would rather build a mutual respect between us. I know we have discussed about going to the Citadel a week before we go to Thessia. Would you care to think about having a child there as I feel you would be much happier with a daughter?"

"We are not even bondmates yet Fosanta. Do you not feel as if this is a bit of a rush?"

"It is only one of many things you could consider Kate. I am just passing you ideas as evidently you are still lost as to what you want. There are many permutations for the order of things and it is perfectly reasonable to conceive a child without being registered bondmates but it is best if we are registered before birth as it makes the documentation easier. I must however point out that strictly speaking we are bondmates as we have melded."

"I see it as a bit of a rush as I still have no idea about everything out here. I was thinking of a year to let me settle down as it was a big change."

"Kate, you do so much and are so capable when you are given encouragement. I mean you were rather nervous when Adastra convinced us to have a shower together on our first evening here and you seemed happy enough about that."

"You do have a point but a child is a much bigger decision than showering together Fosanta."

"It is hence why it is your decision to say yes or no Kate. Do you have any better ideas though?"

"I can see your point in that I will, once she is born, have something that I have helped create. I still have a worry about how I well I will look after an Asari child though."

"Kate, you will be fine with her especially given Asari become bondmates with all kinds of species and yet we still survive. I am also sure you will be much more comfortable generally with a little daughter around. Can I ask you to decide in the next two weeks or so Kate? I would much rather ensure I am ready as well as having a little time to tell you what is to happen."

"Can you explain now Fosanta?"

"I would rather have done so nearer the time Kate but I get the feeling you need answers. After the meld it is three days before confirmation of pregnancy can be given. In those three days I am likely to feel light-headed and a little unwell, especially on the first day. During and just after the meld you will likely experience strong emotions and also feel a little sterile or cold. You may also have some confusion for a few hours after but it is not typically much and you will be fine."

"Can I ask why this is different to a normal meld?"

"It is a meld that goes much deeper than a connection of nervous systems to the absolute core of what makes you who you are Kate. This is needed to allow me to choose the best traits from you to randomise a DNA map for a potential daughter. It is this choosing process that is different for everyone so it is difficult to say what you may feel."

"Fair enough. Can we at least have a day or two between now and then to do something by ourselves? Also can we undertake a ritual before then? I just feel I need to have a bit more confidence in you and some time together would likely help. I apologise if that offends you but I need something I can be sure about and a partner is a good choice."

"I understand entirely you needing something definite and known to act as a base when you are in such unfamiliar territory. I will try to come up with a ritual at some time Kate but finding one that you will like and agree to is not that easy."

"I will appreciate anything that does not take days, is not illegal and is fairly simple Fosanta."

"I will keep that in mind. Do you feel any happier now than you did earlier?"

"I hate to admit it but oddly I do and all we have spoken about is having a daughter which scares me."

"What scares me the most is you Kate. I do not feel positively happy if you are not happy about me."

"I think Athya was right when she said if I was like Sam then I need the physical contact. I have been a bit hands off and perhaps it is not the best way for me to appreciate you."

"I will offer to sit up here tomorrow night with you like we are now, have a little fun and meld. We could then go for a shower before bed as well. What do you think about that idea Kate?"

"As long as we are not too late to bed then I quite like the sound of it. Could we keep the fun delicate and gentle this time as I think I would enjoy that for a change." Fosanta runs her hand through Kate's hair.

"You mean just soft touching Kate." Fosanta could feel Kate relaxing into the seat.

"Yes. I guess you have realised I quite like my hair being played with as well."

"I thought it would be your equivalent of folds which I like being softly stroked. I think we unfortunately should go to bed." Kate curls up on the chair behind Fosanta and puts her head on the arm of the chair.

"Aww. I am happy here if you stay." Fosanta laughs a little before pulling her legs up from the floor and settling down in the space in front of Kate.

"If you could kindly put your arm around me so I do not fall off I would appreciate it Kate." She shuffles back a little more to give Fosanta a bit more space before pulling her back towards herself. "Thank you Kate. I hope you sleep well."

"I hope you do too Fosanta." The two of them close their eyes and settle in for the night.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**My apologies for the late posting but this chapter has been a pain to get right. I must have rewritten it several times and I am still not quite sure the bit at the end between Kate and Fosanta makes absolute logical sense. I have got to the point where it is counter productive to spend more time working on it. Given this it will stay as it is unless I come up with a quick fix for it.**

**I wish to state my intentions now that I will post two further chapters as they are completed and then there will be a break until the 22nd of December. I am doing this out of a need to spend more time writing and less time polishing chapters.**

**I will try and get the next chapter out on either the 27th or the 28th of October but there are no guarantees. **

**I hope you all find this chapter good. A review would be most appreciated if you have time to spare.**


	50. Chapter 50 : Marking Boundaries

**Chapter 50 - Marking Boundaries**

* * *

><p><strong>Sunday 19th February 2017<strong>

"I have no idea how sleeping in a chair can make anyone quite as happy as you are this morning Kate. You seem like a five year old on her birthday."

"Sorry Fosanta but I just had a great nights sleep and I just felt entirely comfortable when I woke up."

"I am glad to hear that Kate. I guess Adastra and Seliha got back late last night given they are not awake yet."

"I would not know as I doubt I would have awoken if the house had fallen down." Fosanta laughs. The two of them sit having their breakfast together for a further fifteen minutes before two Asari that look a little worse for wear walk in.

"You two are up late. How was your evening out?"

"Good." Fosanta sighing at Seliha's answer as it was clear they were a little hung-over.

"I guess you were having a few drinks and had a good night?"

"Nine Kate." Adastra being rather precise in her answer. "Taking Seliha to a nightclub is an experience to say the least. I do however have to admit the dancer Seliha had found was rather enticing."

"I have a question. Why are you looking at good looking individuals when you are bondmates?"

"It was not just looking Kate. Both the dancer and Seliha were encouraging me and you know it does not take much to do so."

"Do you ever worry about showing anyone your markings when you are intoxicated Adastra?"

"No Kate. We know what we are doing even if we look a little lost. Walking in a straight line is easy after getting used to neural instability from melding. Speaking, concentrating on difficult problems and biotic ability are however affected by varying amounts."

"I guess you still get hangovers as well."

"Unfortunately so. Elasa can be a mean mistress the following morning, especially if it is mixed with other drinks."

"I think every Asari at one time or another has had experience of that Adastra." Fosanta's Omni-tool beeps and she looks to see who it is.

_Fosanta,_

_I have a spare day but no one to share it with. I am curious as to whether everyone there would like some extra company. Hope you are all well and I hope to hear back shortly._

_Whesiva_

"I am not sure what the plans are today other than going to Eternity with Sam and Amistathya."

"I could not stomach drinking again too early Fosanta. Perhaps meeting up with Sam just after lunch would be best."

"In that case my message was from Whesiva wondering if we would like her to join us today. Does anyone object to that idea?"

"No as we could ask her what she would like to do for the event. I would tell Sam to expect her to show up though Fosanta."

"I will Kate but I need to inform Sam of Whesiva arriving." Kate gives a nod before Fosanta begins typing a message to Sam on her Omni-tool.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Did you have a fun day yesterday you two?" Silana seemingly rather awake this Sunday morning as she walks over to the kitchen table with a smile.

"It was fairly good although all of us seemingly needed the practice as I am sure I was never that bad even when I was first at the Academy."

"I have a feeling it was related to the higher gravity on Illium but I cannot say for certain Lianta. What did you three do while we were away?"

"We went to Sentix to see the passenger transport being built Hymara. We also had a short discussion with Olissa about a few things as well."

"How did you find her Silana as she has had two rather contrasting personalities this week?"

"She seemed much friendlier Lianta but I am still going to be a little cautious for a while yet." The three of them hear a beep from upstairs before Sam walks down the stairs, one eye on his Omni-tool the other where he was going. Amistathya seemed much spritelier this morning than usual. "Did you sleep particularly well Athya?"

"I did but that is not the reason I am happy Silana." The three of them seemed to be expecting Amistathya to give the reason but a smile was the only thing forthcoming.

"It seems everyone is appearing after lunch including Whesiva as well. Eternity is not the biggest place ever so sixteen of us turning up could end in some interesting seating arrangements."

"It is good of you to keep us informed of what is to happen Sam but I think everyone is much more interested in why Amistathya is particularly happy this morning."

"I felt since we had signed contracts with Sentix that it was safe for us to end the contract between us Hymara. She assured me not much will change but I get the feeling the definition of not much, has, or will be stretched."

"So I am your only servant now Sam?"

"Yes Silana. I am open to negotiation with you as well after Sentix have completed the integration but not before. I hope you can see why."

"I do Sam."

"I guess you two had fun at the shooting range."

"We were fairly useless Sam. Hymara thinks it could be the slightly higher gravity on Illium that was putting us all off."

"It is better to be too low and still hit something than too high and miss entirely." Lianta nods in agreement. "Silana, Ami suggested before we go to Eternity which I guess also means before everyone else arrives." Sam looks to Amistathya who nods. "Are you happy enough with that?"

"As long as I can request that none be put on my face, neck or hands then I am ok with that plan."

"I am curious as we seem to be left out a little here."

"I thought we may as well use the markers that came with the ritual since we have them Lianta. I guess they are designed for Asari skin though which could make working out colours fun."

"I just hope you are all sensible and do not go silly and mark everything."

"I have a couple of nice ideas for Ami and Silana Lianta and they will be able to be covered. What I may end up having I have no idea."

"I am not giving you any clues Sam. I will leave to design the harnesses first." Amistathya gets up and goes to the room with the consoles in.

"Well I best clear up the table before starting." Silana helps Sam as Hymara and Lianta after putting their breakfast items away take a seat in front of the video screen.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Silana, would you care to take a seat for the moment?" Sam gestures to his bed with his free hand, his other holding the box of markers. Sam makes his way over and empties the markers out on the bed. "So, we have blue, black, white, green, purple and brown. This is going to take some working out for Ami's design as none of those colours other than the white are particularly bright."

"Could I ask what you are intending to do Sam?"

"For you or Ami?"

"Myself Sam as I am a little worried I may not like what you are to draw on me."

"On my home planet we have some jelly like aquatic animals. I do not have too much of an idea about the Hanar but I guess that would be about the closest that you know of. They have a hemispherical body with tentacles. I thought a few of those would be nice. Actually..." Sam picks up the box and the brown marker. "I hope this works on this." Sam draws a quick sketch of a jellyfish noting that the markers while they have fairly thick nibs have a bit of a point in the middle so it is possible to do fairly fine work with them. He turns the box around to Silana.

"I am not sure I like it in orange but I quite like the image."

"It would not be orange on you. I was thinking of only using white and blue or perhaps purple as they are generally quite transparent. I therefore have two questions, first is that design ok with you? The second is would you rather I only mark on skin that I can see now or would you be happy to remove your underwear and let me mark anything?"

"I am not in much of a position to stop you but I would rather you did not mark my azure."

"I will not Silana, trust me." She nods before removing her underwear and placing it on the other side of the bed. "I think lying down would be the easiest for me and the most comfortable for you." She does so with Sam pulling a run-away marker from under her. Sam finds the white marker and pulls the lid off before beginning to draw.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Hello Whesiva, come in."

"I hope you are well Kate."

"I am. Fosanta did not say why you wanted to spend a day with us."

"I have not got that many individuals that I know on Illium and I was a little bored. Hello you three."

"It is good you could come. I guess you would be ok to go to Sam's new apartment after lunch and then on to Eternity?"

"That sounds fine to me Adastra. How is Sam after his move?"

"I guess given you are asking that, that you did not read the news yesterday?"

"I did not. Should I have done Fosanta?"

"I will leave it for Sam to explain but we should say he and Amistathya have completed a ritual."

"That is good news. He did seem particularly taken by Athya even on the trip back from the Citadel."

"I am sure Sam has plenty to talk about. I think he said something about you helping out with the event if I remember correctly?"

"I did Kate. Is there something happening that I should know about?"

"We have decided it is essentially going to be a concert with music that you may not expect from various artists. So it should certainly be something different."

"That sounds good. Do you have any interested individuals?"

"We have four who you will probably know as they are particularly popular. They have also agreed to the basic idea of trying something new just for the event. We also have several others we are still waiting back from."

"Well four solid acts is certainly a good start Fosanta, especially so considering you have not been planning this long."

"We still have plenty to plan."

"Whesiva, our current plan is to go to Thessia in three weeks time for a week. This is to sort out promotional material and to make some of the videos for the event. The University of Serrice Media department have offered to help us with that."

"I guess this is you asking if I can make it?" Adastra nods. "I cannot see why not. Do I have to make any transport or accommodation plans?" Adastra looks to Fosanta.

"I am sure if you do not mind a nine hour trip in a shuttle you can come with either myself or Adastra. For accommodation anything convenient to the University and Vetiras broadcasting in Serrice would be aptly appropriate. I am guessing there could be a day trip to Armali at some point but we can easily take a shuttle from Serrice to Armali space port."

"When are you thinking of going and arriving back?"

"I think we may all have different plans for that. I would ask Sam if he knows but it is likely to be for a week so possibly coming back on the Saturday or the Sunday."

"I will do that Kate."

"I think we best get something to eat before going to Sam's apartment." Everyone seems to nod in agreement to that and they all move to the kitchen.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Amistathya walks into the bedroom to see Silana laying on her front and Sam straddled over her drawing something. "If I did not know it was you Silana I would be curious as to what Sam was doing about now."

"I have my clothes on Ami. I guess you would like me to go and have a look at the design you have made?"

"I was tempted to just send it but you did ask nicely. What are the pens like to use Sam?"

"They are good but writing on people is difficult as the skin flexes and it is not exactly flat either. I think I have spent longer trying to work out how to make things look fairly in perspective than I have drawing." Sam talking as he draws the last few tentacles on one of the smaller jellyfish. Sam moves off Silana. "You can go and have a look at yourself Silana while I look at this design if you wish."

"Well it is certainly different to what I would have done. I admit however your skin colour does lend itself to an aquatic image Silana."

"I am guessing you like it then?"

"I do Silana, although quite what it will look like when you have your underwear on I do not know."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam and Amistathya appear back in the bedroom a few minutes later after Sam had approved the design to see a cheery Silana sat on the side of the bed. "I guess from the smile you quite like it?"

"I do Sam. It is a bit strange to see my body marked but I like what you have drawn. When you drew the one on the box I was worried I may not like it. I do like the big one with the purple stripes which has the tentacles just reaching down and around the top of my right leg."

"I am glad to hear you like it as the pens say it begins to fade after six to seven days and should be mostly gone in ten." Silana nods. "You or me next Ami?"

"I will go next." Silana moves off the bed giving Amistathya some personal space to get undressed and to lie down on the bed.

"Silana, I will tell you what to do with this in a minute." Sam finding the black marker in the six he has in his hands and passes it to Silana who carefully looks at it. "This is going to be interesting as to whether I can work out what will mix to what colour. We will see how it goes, are you comfortable Ami."

"I am as comfortable as I am going to be Sam."

"I know you may always be unduly nervous Ami but Silana is a nice individual." Amistathya closes her eyes and nods. "Silana, could you draw a continuous line around Ami's body that follows the edge of the markings from her legs. I would then like you to just fairly roughly add some black to the blue in-between the markings. Just around the hips, you do not need to go all the way down the legs as that would be silly. Do not put any black on any markings."

"I think I get what you mean Sam."

"I will give you some guidance as we go along." She nods before shuffling to Amistathya's left hand side to begin drawing while Sam tries to find a comfortable position where he can still draw and not impede Silana.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I still cannot quite understand why Sam had to move to be honest." Whesiva looking to Kate who was sat closest to her.

"I believe having the house with the job was the fastest way to get us to sign up to work at Armali Whesiva. I guess having the new species working at your company does wonders for the corporate image."

"I never thought of it that way Kate. I can see why Armali would offer the house with the job in that case though."

"The amount Armali must have spent getting Sam this apartment would not have been worth it Whesiva. Anyway we will be there in a minute." Fosanta announcing from the pilots seat. Adastra seemed happy not having to fly through Nos Astra's traffic at a weekend for once.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Hymara gets up off the sofa to open the door. "I will have to get Sam for you but do make yourselves comfortable." She goes upstairs as everyone else walks into the apartment and takes seats where they can.

"Oh. That is a wonderful view of Nos Astra." Whesiva walking to the window as she talks to get a better look.

"I am rather envious of what Sam has managed to get out of all of this to be honest Whesiva. I am sure Sam will want to tell you everything himself though so I will leave it to him."

"I do think he has deserved it after what has happened these last two weeks however Adastra."

"You would probably be in a better position to judge than myself Lianta."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am just informing you that everyone is here." Sam walks over and unlocks the door.

"We will be down in a minute Hymara." She nods to Sam before making her way back to the others. Sam looks in the room to see Amistathya just finishing putting her clothes on. "Do you want to stop at the bathroom before seeing everyone else Ami?"

"That would be good as it is difficult for me to see." The three of them head into the bathroom with Amistathya heading towards the mirror. After a second or two a smile appears on her face. "It is quite nice and vibrant without being too over the top. I also like how you have turned where my markings are into two hills. My right with trees on, the left with tiny people."

"I can say mixing the colours for the fireworks was difficult, I think they look nice though."

"As do I Sam. I guess we should go downstairs to meet everyone and get some food before decorating you." Sam nods and leads the two of them out of the bathroom and down the stairs.

"Hello everyone. I am a bit behind this morning so I hope you do not mind if we eat and talk?"

"Of course not Sam." Kate giving Sam the go ahead as everyone else seems more interested in Amistathya and Silana than listening to him.

"I guess you and Fosanta did as was suggested then Kate?" She nods getting a little laugh from Sam.

"I hope you two are planning to cover those before we go to Eternity."

"Yasmari, Ami will be covered so that is a given and I am sure whilst Silana likes her design that she will do likewise." Yasmari nods to Sam. "I bet this is quite a shock to you Whesiva?"

"I do not quite understand how you three can be quite so indifferent about this to be honest."

"I have had some really difficult weeks lately Whesiva. I therefore feel having a bit of a laugh and some fun is well deserved. Also why should a few markings suddenly make a difference?"

"They make no difference Sam. I am sure Seliha will agree with me when I say I quite like Silana's design." Silana gives a nod of gratitude to Adastra. "I guess working around Athya's markings was a bit tricky?"

"Silana did that bit not me although trying to think of something which worked was a little difficult."

"So you have marked Athya before Sam? I have heard you undertook a ritual."

"It was not packaged correctly so we had a thousand credit fine to pay which was why we were in the news. That will probably be why most individuals know about it. I never want to undertake it again though as it was rather unpleasant and I do not think Hymara or Lianta liked looking at us licking each others noses. I guess you can probably work out what it was by now Whesiva. I also need to make it clear that I have never marked Ami in any way previously."

"So the light blue markings are natural Athya?" She nods with some enthusiasm. "Well that I certainly did not expect. I can see then why a few more markings would not be seen as an issue for you. I am not quite sure what to say now as I thought yourself Adastra were unique in having natural markings on your body."

"I have markings as well."

"I did not think it was that common given there are three of you in here alone."

"We have been told there will only be about ten individual Asari with natural bodily markings Whesiva. I tried to comprehend how likely it would be when Seliha told us that she had them as well. I thought two marked Asari in one place would be so improbable it would be almost impossible. Then Sam brings back Amistathya and I had to ask her if they were real as the chances are one in... Well I have more chance of dying in the next two minutes."

"So there is nearly a third of the galaxy's population of marked Asari in this room Fosanta?" She looks to Adastra who nods.

"Actually I was bored a few nights ago as I had to keep having naps. I therefore worked out that there could be two Asari younger than Ami and possibly three older than Seliha. That would give eight individuals if the random probability stayed about the same, which I have some doubts over. It could be though that there are others in-between Ami and Seliha which would change the average quite a bit. Either way you are going to have no less than ten percent and no more than about forty percent."

"You must have been really bored Sam."

"I was Kate. Is there anything that definitely needs discussing now as Ami would quite like to draw on me?"

"I am a little curious as to how you met Silana Sam."

"She asked to meet with me." Whesiva does not look convinced. "I am really serious about this as I was about the urine drinking. She was originally a servant at Sentix and since they wished to offer a job they wanted to see how well I kept my eye on Ami. They therefore did the same as you did with Kate Fosanta and gave her to me. I was a little shocked when we went to Sentix to negotiate contracts that Olissa offered Silana to me."

"So you have two servants now Sam?"

"No Whesiva. As of last night Ami and I mutually agreed to end our contract so she is just my bondmate now."

"I feel happy for you Athya."

"Sam never really treated me as a servant anyway Kate, you know that. I would have been happy to continue but Sam knows I was becoming a little restless."

"You cannot be much older than your late hundreds Athya. Some Asari cannot settle enough to begin having a family until they are over five hundred."

"I have not had a traditional upbringing Whesiva. I feel stable enough to have a family if individuals around me can cope with some small childish actions at times. I also appreciate you taking a not inconsiderable amount off my age as I am two hundred and sixteen."

"I was just wishing to see if you had thought about this carefully Athya. I will let you to leave for a few minutes as I am sure someone will tell me what has been happening." Sam nods to Whesiva before looking to Amistathya who has a broad smile on her face.

"Silana you may as well join in as well." Sam leads the two of them up the stairs with Amistathya almost pushing him up the stairs given her enthusiasm.

"They really undertook the poison ritual?"

"Yes Whesiva. When I found out neither myself, Hymara nor Silana could quite believe someone would offer them it. What is most strange is the fact it seems like it came from Thessia where production and export is forbidden."

"So no one has any idea who offered it?"

"Sam had an idea but I can see he is not confident in that assumption so I will not say who." Whesiva nods to Lianta.

"Anyway he has got a rather good contract with Sentix that includes a private passenger transport Whesiva."

"Do you know what size Adastra?"

"Five metre diameter and yes it is a circular profile which confused me at first. I think Sam said thirty five in length and it is to have two plasma thrusters."

"I bet that would be rather nice to fly."

"It depends how well balanced it is as I have seen some brilliant ships on specification but were rather annoying to fly."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam dumps his clothing in a pile on the floor before jumping on the bed and landing on one of the pens. "That was not exactly the best idea ever." Sam pulls the blue marker out from underneath him. "Now that is never a good sign." Sam looking to Amistathya who had a smile on her face.

"Silana, you may leave if you wish to but if you are happy too I would appreciate a little help." Silana takes a seat at the bottom of the bed. Amistathya decides to sit on Sam's stomach before picking up one of the markers. "I am undecided what to do."

"Something simple and nice would be appreciated Ami."

"What do you think Silana?"

"Sam was rather kind in telling me exactly what he was to do. It would be mean to not reciprocate that." Amistathya seems to think for a moment.

"If I said I am intending to mark your face Sam what do you think would be fair compensation?"

"It would depend entirely on what it was, what colours you used and how much of a problem this would be to everyone else. If it was a very simple design that is not too intrusive in say light brown then I would need much less convincing than if it was degrading or insulting text written in multi-colours."

"I am not going to say what I am to do Sam but if I make an offer, and you agree, then you must be willing to accept whatever markings I wish to make."

"I am waiting to hear what you will offer."

"Silana, do you promise not to tell anyone what I am about to say." She nods. "I think I know for definite who gave us the ritual. The only reason I know is from the package I received on Wednesday and from these markers."

"What was in that package as at the time I could not think to well and then with Olissa and Sentix things I had forgotten to ask?"

"It was as the datapad stated, my personal belongings from Atansys Chemical Research. I however noticed an extra box which was sealed. I only opened it this morning while you were up here marking Silana. We have been offered a day of explanation and enjoyment on the seventeenth to celebrate the ember."

"I am not sure what is meant by day of explanation and enjoyment but if you feel you wish to agree to it then that is entirely up to you Ami."

"I will explain in more detail later. In the box was a couple of interesting additions which I will bring out for us to play with tonight if you allow me to mark your face. I will also only use one colour."

"Only if you promise to explain everything properly this evening as I have a few questions and I can see you are not that comfortable with Silana knowing." Amistathya gets up from sitting on Sam and instead takes a seat on the edge of the bed.

"I do apologise Silana but I am not even comfortable with Sam knowing as much as he does really. I will be happier when I have seen that you can keep secrets."

"Olissa asked me when she first came around last week if you were a trustworthy individual. I said yes but I thought it would be necessary to say that you only seemed to really trust Sam. This would have made them think a little harder about taking you as a servant Athya. I did say I thought I knew why that was the case but I never said anything more." Sam sits up.

"I guess this was after what happened between Ami and I the bath?"

"Yes. I am not sure what else I should say as it would be a little embarrassing if I was wrong."

"I am sure you would be correct but I would like to know."

"I was wondering if it was physical abuse to begin with Athya but you only seem uncomfortable when you are exposed, so sexual abuse would be the most likely." Amistathya closes her eyes as she drops her head. "I did not mean to upset you Athya, I deeply apologise for that." Sam puts his arm around her.

"Would you like me to say?" She nods. "Silana, both your first and second assumptions were correct and occurred at about the same time. The first was blatantly obvious when I first met her on Thessia but I think she is getting a little more comfortable with Asari who she can see I tentatively trust. Are you ok to get ready for Eternity Ami as there are a lot of people down stairs?" Amistathya takes a breath before nodding with a slight smile.

"I would guess there is not enough time for you to mark Sam as well Silana. I apologise for taking that time up and I thank you for seemingly looking out for me this last week, especially when you did not need to do so."

"That is what friends should do Athya. I will go downstairs to give everyone drinks and someone to talk to while you finish up here. I promise not to say anything about what happened as it is rather privileged information."

"We should not be too long Silana." She nods to Sam before leaving the room. "Would you rather I was sat up or lying down?"

"Lying down Sam. If you could kindly stay very still I will do my best to make them symmetrical and even." Sam nods before doing as Amistathya asked.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I guess I should expect the worst given the time it is taking."

"They seemed to have things they needed to talk about so they have only just started Hymara. I came to offer drinks and someone to answer any questions if anyone has any."

"What did they need to talk about Silana as surely it could have waited?"

"It probably could have done but I had a question and Athya seemed willing to want to answer it. That is what took most of the time. I may as well do it this way, if you would like a drink if you could raise your hand it would be appreciated." Silana notes all thirteen do which makes life easier. "So everyone then."

"I apologise for prying Silana but Athya makes no sense. She seems shy and quiet and yet seems happy to wear clothes that reveal everything. Is that what she is really like?"

"Even I do not quite know what she is really like Whesiva so unfortunately I cannot really answer that question. Before anyone wishes to ask what my question was, it was about a theory I had and Athya was willing to say if it was true or not. I am not going to state specifics as it seemed to hurt her more than I expected it would."

"Is she still ok though?" Fosanta thinking Selayla is getting ever closer to admitting she has a soft spot for Amistathya.

"She seemed a little less lively but was not in tears. Sam is with her which always seems to make her happier so she should be fine."

"You would not know what days Sam wishes to go to Thessia to sort things for the event would you?"

"Other than it being in about three weeks for at least the Monday to Friday of that week I honestly have no idea Kate. I guess if our transport is finished by then, then I would probably be flying it there as I have heard Sam gets quite irritable on long flights."

"You do not need to tell me Silana. The fact he seemed perfectly happy to make Whesiva uncomfortable by making a comment about him drinking urine because he was bored was a little worrying."

"That is still the strangest comment I have ever heard."

"Was he just making it up because he was bored Lianta?"

"He actually did so but not because he was bored Silana."

"He also drank a little one evening when Athya decided to play a joke on him. That was a strange evening as well. I bet you are thinking we are all a little crazy Whesiva."

"I was a little sure of that when Fosanta tricked you into being Sam's servant Kate. All I have heard this afternoon is more interesting evidence to prove that being strange is more normal than being normal. Either that or I have already caught some weird disease from being on Illium." Whesiva gets a few laughs from that joke as Silana begins to bring over the drinks.

"If the two of them are much longer then perhaps leaving and meeting them there would be a good idea."

"I am sure we could find somewhere in Nos Astra to eat before we went to Eternity if you are worried about food Seliha."

"I am sure Seliha has a permanent reservation at a restaurant Fosanta so I can never see getting hold of food as being a problem for her."

"You seemed to get the same treatment I did Adastra."

"I am not going to ask what treatment Seliha. I deeply apologise for any problems which may ensue for the next ten or so days."

"I thought I asked you to make markings where you could cover them Sam?"

"Ami sees that as a challenge it seems as the only places she has marked are where I cannot cover Hymara." Sam lifts his t-shirt up. "See no markings."

"I know Kalawa may not be impressed with me saying this but while the black markings make your face are a little dark they seem to have been quite carefully done."

"Selayla, do you want to swap for the evening; an evening break from being with those two would be nice."

"I will Lianta."

"I guess you did not have any better colours than black then Sam?"

"Black, white, red, orange, yellow and blue Kate. They did seem to mix ok with the white but I tried mixing brown but only managed a purply brown which was rather horrid."

"I guess you probably would have suggested blue on me?" Kate looking to Fosanta as Sam gets a glass of water.

"I would as it contrasts with your hair and matches your eyes but I expect Fosanta was about to say the same." Amistathya talking as she walked down the stairs with a smile trying to be careful not to miss a step and look like a fool. Her new blue dress made stairs a little more inconvenient than usual.

"Ami, Lianta and Selayla have swapped for the evening. Not sure if Hymara is to leave as well."

"You need someone who has experience being with you Sam. Just please try to keep yourself to yourself." Sam nods.

"I do like the dress Amistathya. How many do you have as they cannot be all that cheap to make?"

"I have three like this and one other Whesiva. These are the most complicated design but the cheapest to make as there is no zip."

"I was half expecting your black one Athya."

"No Silana. That one I am not sure how comfortable I would be wearing. Also this blue one is nice and different." She nods before heading up the stairs to get dressed.

"Sam, I need to ask when you were thinking of going to Thessia."

"I was thinking leaving Saturday morning possibly and coming back Saturday evening or Sunday. I know Olissa asked us not to take over a week off but one day more can be classed as a rounding error. What I am most worried about is getting to Eternity and not getting a seat."

"If we leave very soon then I am sure we would be ok." Sam nods to Seliha as Silana comes back down the stairs.

"I think we are all ready now, I guess we are following you in the skycar since there is only room for twelve plus a pilot in the shuttles."

"It would be wise Sam." He nods to Fosanta as the sixteen of them leave the apartment.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I guess you agreed because Athya has promised you something in return Sam?"

"I am curious as to why you ask that Selayla?"

"The fact that the line between your finger and your hand is perfectly smooth which it most definitely would not have been if you were not actively co-operating."

"Ok, I did co-operate hopefully in return for answers to some questions I have." The skycar lands and Hymara looks around from the front.

"Sam. This is going to be tomorrow's big news and I cannot see a way around it. Please do not provide the media with anything else they could use."

"Can I still use my discretion while speaking to individuals though?"

"Yes but try not to back yourself into a corner." Sam looks a little confused but nods to Hymara as the roof opens. The five of them quickly meet up with the other eleven and begin walking to Eternity. It is not long before the whole group approaches a larger than expected amount of media outside Eternity's door.

"I really hope this was not from me slipping up yesterday and saying we might be coming here today."

"It probably is but I guess you have not had the media problem yet Fosanta. You will probably not particularly like it for a while but I suppose that is what you get for being a bondmate with a rare species."

"That is a little mean Lianta."

"Sorry Kalawa but I dislike having to deal with media at times." The group move past with Amistathya deciding to give Sam a kiss as they do so causing the journalists to almost pop with excitement. Hymara looks around with a disapproving face. Sam shrugs with a smile in response as they walk into Eternity.

"I cannot believe you just did that."

"Can this at least wait until we find seats?" Sam wondering why people dislike that small table near the bar so much. "Usual table for us. You are welcome to join us if you wish Whesiva." She nods as the other ten take the two round tables towards the back. Sam had barely had time to take a seat, with Amistathya on his knee before Hymara decides to vent.

"I do apologise but you two are insane. What has happened today makes no sense, usually it has been obvious it was Sam making the decisions but now it is you Amistathya."

"I understand it is frustrating for you Hymara but that was not my fault although it should keep my face off the agenda as I was not facing them."

"I suppose that is one upside, although quite a few people in here seem more interested in you two than their drinks though."

"You always... cause quite a stir." Gemhaya's voice dropping off. Hymara just shrugs with a little disapproving shake of her head.

"When we come here, I understand that. It probably brings in the customers as well." Gemayha nods. "I would like to mention they are not permanent and the fact that I believe your job is to serve drinks and not ogle customers."

"Matriarch Aethyta would not like me saying that I do both but seeing something that is considered a little private is a bit of a surprise."

"I will have the usual and I am sure Ami will as well." Sam moving the conversation on as he can feel it being steered. He looks up gets a smile and a nod from the sky blue one. "I am not sure about Silana."

"I hope you do not mind if I had honey mead with ice. I know it waters it down but I like it really cold. I have not had the chance to have it for a good number of years so this will be a nice change."

"I am sure we can do that for you, and I guess honey mead with no ice for you two?" Hymara and Selayla nod and Gemayha looks to Whesiva.

"The same for me as well please." Gemayha nods to Whesvia before taking the handful of steps to the bar. "Even I feel a little awkward and I am not even you Sam."

"I have had that look pretty much wherever I have been Whesiva. I really am surprised I have not had individuals practically falling over themselves to talk to me while I have been out here though. Perhaps today they are put off by Hymara's exasperated look." Sam at least gets a little laugh from everyone even if Hymara's is mostly in despair. "Sorry Hymara but that was an easy target for a joke."

"Perhaps Lianta and myself should sit down and talk to you three properly. While Thermay Republic would really like us to keep it to a purely professional role, I feel that is not helping either of us in this case."

"You are more than welcome to have a talk Hymara, one evening next week would be nice."

"Tuesday Sam as there are some good programs released on a Monday." Sam laughs as he nods. Gemayha brings the tray over and places the drinks.

"Matriarch Aethyta seems to wish to have a quick talk later Sam."

"I will be here." She nods before moving to the next table.

"So you and Lianta are from Thermay?"

"Yes, I guess everyone else except Imphaya and Aumarva are from Serrice. I am not quite sure how we ended up in the roles we have but I guess that is for the republic governments to sort out."

"I just always thought that Thermay had an agreement with Armali for commando training."

"Thermay do not train any individuals, instead they take commandos who trained at Armali but have since retired for peacekeeping roles."

"You and Lianta are retied?"

"I am four hundred and forty in three years Sam and Lianta is only two years younger. We were both regularly tasked with this kind of work so when the option to go back to Thermay was offered, we both took the opportunity. It is fairly common to be given the option to continue in an active role or move to a peacekeeping one at four hundred due to the body getting a little slower." Sam nods.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"If we were to go to the citadel Lianta, how much of a problem do you think we would have?"

"As long as you say nothing to them and do not answer their questions then you should not be too bad Fosanta. They will always be there though because of Kate."

"I guess you find Sam annoying?" Kate sighing a little at the difficulty of trying to keep the sporadic torment hidden.

"He and Amistathya are quite hard work at times Kate."

"I can easily understand that given what Sam looks like today." Gemayha overhearing the conversation.

"I do not think it is his fault Gemayha but it does give you some idea of the kind of antics they get up to." Gemayha nods.

"What can I get you all this evening?"

"I am guessing that we all honey mead addicts." Fosanta looking around and getting nods from everyone. "I am correct it seems." Gemayha nods before leaving. "I may as well give everyone some warning that myself and Kate are planning to go to the Citadel for some time together in a couple of weeks."

"I always like going there Fosanta. There is something about it feeling like you are on a planet but you are not that makes it seems special."

"I just thought it was somewhere a bit different to be honest Swathana. It also has some nice places to stay and is not too out of the way."

"I would recommend Sanves if you need somewhere to go but it takes about thirty five hours to get there unless you can find someone with a fast shuttle."

"We can always go there another time Kalawa." She nods to Fosanta.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Hymara hears a small bang from around the corner so leans out to see Adastra and Seliha rather over-passionately kissing, having knocked over a chair. "What have they been adding to the water lately?"

"I guess given your question that Adastra and Seliha are up to something?" Hymara sighs.

"Yes Sam. I am a little confused that Imphaya and Aumarva have not said anything." Sam opens his Omni-tool and sends a quick message to Kate.

"I am not that surprised Hymara but I will not say why here. I think leaving now would be an idea while everyone is more interested in what they are doing. You are free to stay or move to one of the others tables if you wish Whesiva."

"I will stay a while longer Sam. It has been good seeing you all today."

"I think we will need to meet up sometime before going to Thessia. I am sure something can be arranged." Whesiva nods.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Everyone at Kate's table has a good view of what is happening. "I was not expecting that to happen." The table and most of Eternity watching Seliha pin Adastra to the table.

"I am just thankful they will not be getting undressed Kalawa as that would have got everyone in Nos Astra to appear." Fosanta gets cut off a little by Kate's Omni-tool beeping.

_Kate,_

_I am going to make an exit shortly while this is happening. I hope you all have a good evening._

_Sam_

"Are you sure that will not happen Fosanta?"

"I am hoping not as well Yasmari but if they are anything like Sam and Amistathya that may mean it could happen. I sort of wish I was with Sam now as it looks like they are leaving." Whesiva walks over as Sam seems to be having a talk at the bar.

"I hope you do not mind if I join you?"

"Take a seat Whesiva. They are nearly the best ones in here to watch what is happening."

"I would rather converse than watch two overly driven individuals be affectionate to each other to be fair Fosanta."

"If this place was empty I would have no problem doing the same about now." Kate goes a little red at all the slightly shocked expressions from around the table but given the slightly darkened room it is not that obvious.

"That does not sound like you normally Kate."

"Kate and myself had a good evening yesterday Yasmari. I also must say if Adastra and Seliha keep fighting over who is on top they are going to end up on the floor." Yasmari seems happy with her answer given she turns back around to watch.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I will get Aethyta for you." Gemayha goes into the back while various fund requests get processed. Gemayha walks out with Aethyta behind.

"I believe you wished to speak to me Aethyta. I have seen an opportunity to leave here which would be of benefit for me so unfortunately I cannot stay long."

"No problem babe. I just wished to see if what Gemayha said was true."

"What is wrong with everyone and markings?"

"I would ask your friend Sam. See you all soon."

"You should do Aethyta." She nods and the five of them make a quiet exit, Sam looking around and smiling as they walk past Seliha and Adastra's table. Imphaya and Aumarva having moved off to one side to give them space. "I guess we have already got past the journalists as I think most of them followed us in to Eternity."

"I saw that as well Sam." The five of them walk out of the door to a Salarian slumped down in the corner, looking a little intoxicated. They walk past without paying him too much attention and go back to the skycar.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Are you going to tell Sam Amistathya or should I as it is clear he has no idea."

"I feel I should Hymara as it was me who made them."

"I will say tomorrow morning if you have not said though as Sam needs to know before going to Sentix and wondering why people are acting strange." Amistathya nods.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Well that was more extreme than the dining room table." Seliha helping Adastra up from the table.

"It is a real pity we had nothing to play with and we both have markings." Imphaya and Aumarva move back.

"I am a little glad about that Seliha as neither of us really wanted to stop you but there is a point where we would have had to have done so." Seliha looks a little angered to Imphaya.

"Seliha, they are only doing their job and helping us with the journalists. Please do not be angry towards them as they kept out of our way and did not disturb us."

"The fact I now know if I wished to strip they would try to stop me annoys me."

"Seliha, neither Imphaya nor myself would try to stop you from doing so if you wished. We would only advise you not to do so unless you were sure that you would be fine with any consequences of doing so."

"That sounds better."

"You are seemingly much happier to listen to reason now Seliha."

"You are helping me understand that it is important to be able to make compromises and agreements when necessary Adastra. I could always try to be less controlling as I am feeling a little more comfortable now."

"People really do not mind if you are cold and a little sharp towards them if you are still reasonable Seliha. Do what you feel is right."

"Perhaps being friendlier in surroundings like this would be better for everyone Imphaya. I do apologise for any problems which may occur but Adastra makes me go a little crazy at times."

"That is nice to hear from you Seliha. I have a funny feeling everyone else will be thinking we are a little too desperate to show everyone."

"I am sure most people will have forgotten in a month Adastra. I would quite like something to eat shortly as I feel a little hungry now."

"I am sure the others would be interested in leaving as well." Seliha nods to Imphaya.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Seliha can I ask why you seem friendlier than usual." Kate seemed a little confused as to why she seemed to be showing a little more affection to others on the shuttle back.

"I think people were getting frustrated at my other for having stronger feelings. My other therefore decided to offer me the chance to interact with friends while keeping herself for other times."

"You make it sound like you are two people Seliha?" Whesvia not quite sure how to interpret that given the confused look on her face.

"I do have duality syndrome Whesiva which can present that way. If you are pleasant to my other then she is accepting back. I find this difficult to say but annoying her can cause some problems. Well she nearly dislocated Sam's arms for one."

"I feel scared to be in this shuttle now."

"You should not be scared Whesiva as she has tried hard lately to be less aggressive towards others. Seliha in both her personalities is a rather caring individual but she just has two ways of showing it."

"I apologise for scaring you Whesiva, it even scares me as I for a long time did not even know what my other was capable of doing, thought about situations and certain things I could not remember doing. I do apologise again for hurting you that morning Kate I really did not mean to as I really cannot remember."

"I know you meant to and I know why you did so. I guess everything has turned out well as Athya is happy since she is no longer Sam's servant. What I do not understand is why she still folds her arms behind her?"

"I have no idea Kate but they have some very confusing agreements between the three of them. I guess some are not dependant upon having a contract in place." Lianta trying to suggest a reason to Kate.

"We will be there in a minute so we can drop you off Lianta and pick up Selayla. We will not stay as we would like to eat."

"I understand Fosanta as I am a little hungry. I will send Selayla down to you when I get up there."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I see you are back Lianta. We have made food for you." Sam looking to the absconder with a smile.

"I appreciate that. Selayla everyone is waiting for you in the shuttle before going back to the house."

"Selayla, I would like you to tell everyone that I hope to meet them possibly next Saturday."

"I will Sam. I hope you all have a pleasant week." The five of them nod and Selayla leaves.

"Lianta, Hymara suggested we should all have a talk together on Tuesday evening if that is ok."

"What about?" Sam looks to Hymara.

"I feel I am finding myself annoyed at Sam and Amistathya just because I do not know the reasons behind their decisions. I thought we could have a talk and try to understand how everything works rather than standing back and just letting everything happen."

"It is worth a try at least."

"I think that is what Hymara thought Lianta. Ami, would you be happy to be helped out of your dress and then answer some questions."

"Tomorrow night for the things I received then Sam. I was a little excited about tonight but I can see that you need answers."

"I appreciate that."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"There is something nice about you being friendlier Seliha; it adds something to the house that I feel has been missing since Sam left."

"I appreciate the complement Fosanta but I feel it is still not quite the same."

"It lightens the atmosphere a lot though Seliha. It is always nice to see Adastra with a warming smile as well."

"I tend to be like that after I have done something I perhaps should not have done Kate. As I am sure you remember from your red shower gel."

"You do not need to remind me Adastra."

"Adastra, could I suggest we have a talk to Sam and Athya on our own at some time."

"I would really like that Seliha as having everyone in the apartment it is quite a small space and it is not easy to ask the questions to wish to ask. I will send Sam a message tomorrow."

"I think we will just help you tidy everything away and try to settle down for an early night as it is again work tomorrow."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Amistathya and Sam decide to forgo getting dressed in the bathroom only to get undressed in the bedroom. Sam makes sure no one is coming up the stairs before gesturing Amistathya to come out. She does so and quickly covers the few metres of corridor to the door of the bedroom. Sam takes his time and locks the door after he has entered. "I have a number of questions as I have said that I am keen to have answered Ami."

"I will answer what you wish to know Sam as you have been quite confused it seems today."

"The first I would like clearing up is why did Aethyta say I should ask you?"

"I know you had no clue about this so I will happily let you mark me later if you wish to Sam but I will explain first. I had quite a fascination with a large amount of texts that my mother had when I was much younger and a lot of them were on Asari tribes and their varying rituals. A lot of them were for making the structure of the tribe simpler. New individuals or groups to a tribe would be marked with usually a black dye paint after their introduction into the tribe. This would tell others at a glance what kind of individual they were, if they are allowed to meld and where in the tribe they fit along with some personality traits if they were allowed to meld. It would be up to the individual to maintain the marks if they were becoming faint or were washed off."

"All that from a few marks?"

"No Sam. Yours are incomplete given some of the traditional marks are not all that valid for you. The others however say that you like both physical and mental interaction with others, you have a chosen bondmate and not to try to meld with you."

"Ok I am happy enough with that. I guess it was where I fit in the tribe that is the incomplete bit?"

"Yes as that was traditionally added on either the legs or arms as bands of black. Three bands on the legs would be valid for Silana but I could not think of a combination which would be good enough for you."

"Can I ask what three bands on the legs mean?"

"It depends how they are grouped Sam. Three around the lower leg meant they did not offer the role and any punishment was valid but they were not to be rewarded for their efforts. Three around the upper leg are for individuals who will offer themselves in various ways to various people. The exact definition varied amongst tribes but to keep them separate from domestic workers I consider the definition to be that they can request compensation for use of them in any way but not in return for a specific job that they perform."

"What about the arms?"

"Domestic workers had one around their lower leg, one around their upper and one near their wrists. The only other one that was common amongst most tribes was for the huntresses who had one on their upper leg and two on their upper arm."

"Interesting. I guess individuals could work their way up through the tribe?"

"The only ones that could not were the bottom slaves. It was also difficult for most to progress further than a standard tribal member as becoming a huntress required a natural ability as most tribes did not teach their warriors. They mostly worked to hunt for food rather than battle other tribes for land. We were and still are a species of clusters all working together and there has never been a major war."

"It is a real pity your mother is still not around as I bet she would have been good to talk to."

"Possibly."

"I'm sorry Ami but it is quite interesting to listen to all of this." Sam gives sky blue a hug. "I guess since the marks on the legs are two extremes then you can mix them for various levels in-between?" Amistathya nods. "Well two points, three on the upper leg would be valid for both of us and I guess two on the top one on the bottom would be suitable for Silana."

"I did not think you would like being marked as a slave, sorry tribal servant, Sam. That is why I did not put them on you. While legally Silana should be one on the top two on the bottom I think by the way you treat her you would be correct."

"I have three questions then Ami. First is, was this done over markings or only on blue skin? The second is, is there a particular pattern or position for them and finally, would you be willing to have three bands around your upper legs if I had the same?"

"Fingers or hands are marked for physical interaction. Markings within the eye area mean you have a chosen individual. Markings where I have them on my face mean mental interaction. The neck is an indicator not to meld. No markings on the face with marks on the neck mean the individual dislikes melding or is not permitted to meld but the tribe. If marks are on both then it means it is either disliked by the individual's bondmate if they meld with others or it would be dangerous for others to do so. The lips, or the nose, or both, are marked as a warning to others not to physically touch. The pattern can be anything as long as it is unique to the individual and I would wish to have two bands on my upper leg and one near my ankle if you are happy with having three on your upper leg Sam."

"Can I ask why you want to offer more Ami?"

"I told you yesterday Sam when you ended our contract. I am not going to say any longer as it is becoming clearer you are not interested in doing so."

"If this is about me taking advantage of you I just need a good situation to do so to begin with. I need to gain a bit of confidence that you are comfortable with it. I will keep my eye open over the next few days for a good situation to do so." Ami puts her arms around Sam. "I have a couple more questions and then we can go drawing. What did the message mean by celebrate ember and who was it who sent the ritual? Oh and what were the extra things that came?"

"I said exactly what was written on the pad but ember is how I know who. My mother before I came to Illium told me that I should bide my time and wait patiently for things to come to me such as an ember waits for more fuel to relight the fire. I also now recognise the area of Armali from the address on the markers. It is not far from where I visited her and her new bondmate when I last went back."

"Hold on so it is your mother's bondmate who has sent these items?"

"How she managed to get them past port security I do not know but it is very likely that my guess is correct."

"So she left you on your own and has not tired to contact you until now? I wonder why the sudden change."

"I am thinking the same thing but it may be that she knows that I am no longer at Atansys. She must have spoken to someone though as you usually do not give a ritual to another without being sure that they are very likely to accept."

"I am going to guess that after the news of us being on the Citadel and the journalists camping at the hotel door I guess they saw Talima and Sha'ira go in. She may have inferred correctly that they were visiting us and had a talk to them."

"That would make sense. Also Sha'ira could be sending you messages on her behalf hence why you think it is a different individual writing them." Sam smiles.

"You could well be right Ami although what confuses me the most is why she is going to such lengths to keep herself anonymous if she wishes to talk. I think leaving to go to Thessia early Saturday morning and see if we could talk somewhere that evening would be best. How that could be arranged I do not know?"

"I will sort that out Sam as I think I have a way of arranging something. Do you have any other questions?"

"Only that you still have not said what you got in the package Ami. I did let you draw on me where I did not want you to in return for answers."

"It will be fun and messy but that is all I wish to say as I really want to keep the surprise until tomorrow."

"I like the sound of messy for a change." Sam gets off the bed and walks over to the corner of the room to pull out the black marker. "I will try to be as careful as I can to miss all your markings Ami."

"I am not too bothered about my hands and legs Sam but if you can on my face I would appreciate it." Sam nods as Amistathya pushes a pillow under her shoulders to allow her to lie back face up and her folds not hurt her neck.

"I guess I should mark everything or would you rather individuals were not warned not to touch you?"

"I would rather you warned people Sam as it will save a lot of explaining. I believe those markers are non-toxic so could you colour my lips instead of my nose please." Sam nods with a smile as he begins colouring in. "Would you let me mark Silana the same way before bed as I think it would be better if they all faded at about the same time."

"Yes and please inform her that I agreed to it but you must ask her whether she prefers physical or mental interaction or both."

"I will as it would be a little embarrassing for her if I got it wrong. I best stay quiet now otherwise you will mark something you should not." Sam laughs before continuing to mark her face.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"You seem much keener this evening than you did yesterday when I nearly had to drag you to sit with me."

"As I said this morning I slept well Fosanta which I was surprised about given you seem to have set the time for wanting a daughter."

"You seem to soften up so much when you relax and have physical contact Kate. As I said I think you would really like a daughter to hold and you seem rather reluctant to jump into the galactic community with any enthusiasm."

"So you are giving me a push instead like you did this morning."

"Think of it more as gentle encouragement Kate. I have your best interests in mind as I really do not want to leave me for someone else. I know if you were single and it was widely known you would have half of Thessia clambering to get to you."

"You make me sound like some truly important alluring and beautiful individual. I really am not anything other than average."

"You are so much more than you see yourself as at the moment Kate. The problem is I do not think you want to find out as you certainly are attractive." Fosanta carefully and softly strokes the back of Kate's neck. "I think you would appreciate a longer shower and me cuddling up to you in bed over a meld. What do you think?"

"I know melding is good but I would like that idea better Fosanta."

"I thought as much as you seem just as soft as Sam is for physical interaction."

"I am intrigued as to how you know that Fosanta?"

"He had black fingers Kate if you were paying attention this afternoon. That is an old tribal mark for the individual enjoying physical interaction."

"I guess the ones on his face are the same. What do those ones mean?"

"He has a bondmate and it is dangerous to meld with him. Amistathya seems to be really throwing Sam in to the fire; do excuse me if I got that analogy wrong for you."

"It was right, just a little strange hearing it in Asari. I am just hoping you are not to do the same to me."

"All I will provide is a little encouragement Kate as I just want you to settle in and be happy. Please do try your best and you should feel a greater confidence in yourself as a result." Kate nods and smiles as she lightly touches Fosanta's left breast under the duvet. "I think you want a shower Kate as you seem keen."

"To be honest I would not mind sitting here. Can I wash you in the shower?"

"You should not even have to ask Kate. If you would like something and it will not hurt me then do so. It could make a pleasant surprise for me which would be something exciting." Kate gets up from the chair and pulls the duvet off Fosanta.

"I think going to the shower before we get cold would be a good idea." Fosanta smiles as she gets up and puts her arm around Kate before they go downstairs to their bathroom.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Amistathya walks into Silana's room to see her looking at something on her Omni-tool. "I apologise for interrupting your evening Silana."

"That is not a problem Athya but I am a little worried given the fact you have a marker and you have markings like Sam."

"Sam has asked me to ask you three questions. The first is how long are you thinking of staying with us at least in a semi-servant role as Sam was thinking of offering to teach you English?"

"I had not really thought about it. Could I ask to think about my answer to that question as it is a difficult one for me to answer?"

"Yes as Sam did not specifically ask me to ask that question but he did mention it to me. The second is can I trust you not to hurt or touch me inappropriately Silana and the final question is do you prefer mental or physical interaction with others or both?"

"Please do not mark me on my face and hands Athya." Amistathya leaves the room for a few moments and comes back with Sam.

"I am curious as to why I have been dragged in here."

"Can I ask why you have three marks on your legs Sam?"

"I am offering to do much of what Ami wishes given suitable compensation Silana. I would however like to know why Ami asked me to come in here."

"I would rather I was not marked on my face and hands Sam."

"She begged that I should not Sam hence why I brought you in here."

"I am sure you can work out what has happened and you do not need to apologise in this case Silana. All I wish to do is talk. My first question though is why are so reluctant to not be marked?"

"It is bad memories from a previous owner who did so Sam."

"Was it bad enough to get you on the dangerous list or just remarkably unpleasant treatment?"

"It was just unpleasant over a long period Sam. I guess looking back it was not that bad but at the time it was as it just felt relentless." Sam takes a seat on the bed.

"I apologise for bringing it up but I need to know. I need truthful answers to the next few questions. I stated this morning that I would discuss your contract with you after the Sentix move is complete. The question I have is how long would you honestly offer to stay with us?"

"I cannot answer that question Sam as I have never made that decision."

"Can I ask if you are comfortable being here Silana? I only ask as I wish to work out whether you would be happier finding somewhere else to be." Silana looks a little scared of saying anything.

"Sam will not hurt you for anything that you will say Silana. Adastra also trusted Sam enough to remember her markings so anything you do say will be safe. Just be honest." Silana turns to Sam who nods in agreement.

"I am happy to be here and you have got me a very well paid job Sam. I have nearly always taken contracts which allow me to keep myself to myself or blend in amongst many others."

"It is ok if you have not had much personal contact with others before Silana." She seems to go a little shy at Sam's guess which he assumes is his answer. "I was as bad a couple of months ago Silana and I am still a little uncomfortable with anyone besides Ami to be perfectly honest. I have one question then, do you want to get over the fear and know us better?"

"I think so Sam."

"Can Silana join in tomorrow evening Ami?" Amistathya gives Sam an enthusiastic nod after a moments pause. "Ok. You have a choice Silana. The first is you are marked and you join us tomorrow evening. The second is your second rule is applicable everywhere for a fortnight."

"I apologise Sam. I sometimes forget quite how much you take my interests into consideration before making decisions. I would rather the first choice as working in yellow underwear would be rather unpleasant. Athya I am not exactly sure about which interaction I prefer as I have tended to be the one giving the interaction not receiving it."

"Well that can soon be fixed, just relax Silana." Sam shuffles behind Silana before beginning to gently run his fingers down her neck. After a minute or so he gets up and walks to the door. "I hope you can both sort out everything between you and I hope you sleep well Silana." She nods to Sam with a warm smile before he leaves.

"Do you have a better idea now Silana? I really do not want to get the markings wrong but unfortunately melding with me will get you on the dangerous list."

"Is it wrong of me to say that I think that I much prefer physical interaction? I did a small contract when I was much younger where I melded with a lot of individuals but never touched them. It just seemed a little hollow for me unlike just now where I felt this relaxing excitement."

"I am going to let you decide if you wish me to mark your face or not Silana as the only person who really knows what you like is you."

"To stay with tradition by only marking what the individual wants then I would not Athya."

"I understand and I apologise if I am a little nervous."

"I will not hurt you Athya at least not intentionally." She nods in response before kneeling on the bed in front of Silana and begins to draw on her hands.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I guess you have finished then." Sam watches Athya lock the bedroom door from where he is lying.

"I have Sam. She complained a little about having the same markings as I have on her legs as she knows I am not in a contract. I explained why you thought it was the best designation for her and she seemed happier after that."

"I cannot imagine what years of being a servant does to your self confidence but she really needs to improve on it a little. What markings did you give her anyway?"

"A spiral down each finger which end at a point in the centre of her hand and the bands on her legs. She said that she feels a little apathetic towards melding but does not dislike it so she has no markings on her face or neck." Amistathya gets into bed and shuffles across to Sam.

"Did you have a look at your markings?"

"I did and I am very impressed by the fact that you have added to my existing markings on both my hands and face but in such a delicate way. I really wish I could have them made permanent as they balance out the sky blue perfectly but it would cause me too many problems."

"Is this the same problem as you get with your markings normally?"

"It is Sam, but I can wear gloves to cover my hands. I would be unable to cover my face."

"You have coped with having natural markings all your life Ami. If you really like the markings I have put on you and you can get them added with a softened edge to match your others then I will fully support your decision to have them if you wish. Everyone else can be forgotten as you are still going to get the same abuse whether you get them or not."

"While you are right I do not know. I also wonder how Olissa will take us turning up like this tomorrow?"

"I will give her a message to meet her tomorrow morning but I cannot see her being able to say much. I am going to leave the decision to you Ami as it is your body and it will be you who will have to live with the decision long after I have gone."

"Please do not remind me that you do not live long Sam." Sam gets his right arm between Amistathya and the bed before dragging her a little closer for a hug.

"I apologise but it is a true fact of reality unfortunately. I think we best get some sleep given it will be work tomorrow." Amistathya moves back a little before putting her head down on Sam's pillow.

"I will decide in the near future as to what I wish to do depending upon the reaction I get."

"That sounds sensible. Sleep though." She smiles and nods before closing her eyes with Sam quickly doing the same.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I have to say that these last two evenings have been remarkably enjoyable. Just us, no distractions and nothing between us. It makes a change from the get into bed and quick hug routine."

"I am very relieved to hear that Kate. I was worried yesterday but I now feel likewise that it has been a good opportunity to sit, talk and appreciate each other in a relaxing environment."

"I could do with getting to sleep now though as unfortunately it is work tomorrow."

"Only two weeks until our break on the Citadel Kate. Do not worry about anything for that as I will sort it all out." Kate gives Fosanta a short kiss.

"Thank you, I appreciate that Fosanta as I would struggle to know where to start."

"It is not a problem Kate. Do sleep well."

"If this is anything like last night I will." Fosanta smiles to Kate before turning off the light.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**A super long chapter and perhaps a little verbose but I guess that is what happens at a weekend. Next chapter will be Sam and Amistathya's first day at Sentix and should be posted not on Saturday 3rd of November but Sunday the 4th as I am busy that evening watching fireworks. **

**Before anyone wonders if there was some kind of deliberate intent to have the chapter containing Amistathya's firework markings the week before bonfire night there was not. I wrote this chapter several months ago and had no idea at all when it was to be posted. It may however have been a subconscious decision but I am not to blame for that.**

**I hope in any case you all enjoy the chapter and there should be another fun one next week. A review if you can spare an odd moment would be appreciated.**


	51. Chapter 51 : Spaceworks

**Chapter 51 - Spaceworks**

* * *

><p><strong>Monday 13th February 2017<strong>

"Can I ask you why Silana has markings this morning Sam or are you and Amistathya both being difficult?" Sam just making is way down the stairs to find some breakfast.

"I have no idea Lianta. Maybe she drew them on herself as I do not even know what they look like." Sam walks across to the kitchen area where Hymara, Lianta and Silana had nearly finished their breakfast. "I apologise if you have got abuse this morning Silana. I do like your fingers however."

"Athya was remarkably kind to give me the option between stripes or a spiral. I quite like them even if Hymara and Lianta are not too keen as it is not quite as striking as your fully black fingers. Where is Athya anyway Sam?"

"She will be down in a minute Silana." She nods before eating the last of her breakfast.

"I may as well say now that your first day at work is going to be a long one Sam. You are not exactly popular in the media this morning."

"I will do as I have for the last few weeks and totally ignore them Hymara. As long as we are happy with what we do that is all that really matters."

"I do have to apologise for this Sam but we are going to go to follow you around at work. This is only for the first few days but it may be permanently if we feel the security at Sentix is not tight enough."

"You do not need to apologise Lianta as I trust you two to decide when you think it is necessary for you both to come along." Lianta nods as she hears someone come down the stairs. She puts her head in her hands when she sees Amistathya with a smile. "I made your breakfast while you were messing about."

"I was not messing Sam. I guess the fact you both look unimpressed that you do not approve?"

"The amount of negative news this morning about Sam means we are going with you to Sentix Spaceworks today Amistathya. I think we are interested to know what is happening between you as this is really confusing us. I do not think either of us understand why you would choose to inflict this upon yourself."

"Unfortunately it is going to have to wait Hymara as I asked to meet Olissa last night. I got a reply this morning saying we should meet her before work so we are going to have to leave soon. I need to say that the reasons for doing what we do are not always logical Hymara so, if you think there may be a good reason behind what we do then you could be wrong."

"I have been with some rather incomprehensible individuals before Sam but I think yourself and Amistathya are near the top of the list at the moment."

"I appreciate the compliment Lianta as being the same as everyone else is boring. Is everyone ready to leave?"

"Myself and Silana just need to get dressed Sam. We will not be long." Sam nods to Amistathya before she and Silana go upstairs.

"Ami explained what the markings meant last night and offered me the opportunity to do the same to her. I thought I could do so while keeping her looking pleasant so I accepted the offer. It became apparent that marking Ami without doing the same to Silana would look silly so I let her mark Silana."

"Why did you feel you had to accept Amistathya's offer Sam?"

"She has had markings on her body all her life. A few more is not going to make any real difference to her Lianta. Silana was a little reluctant but only because she has had an unpleasant owner she wishes to forget that also marked her in a similar way." Hymara and Lianta get up from the table waking Sam up as the three of them go to join Silana and Amistathya at the front door.

"So you are happy about having the tribal marks Silana?"

"It makes me feel part of the group which is something a servant is rarely offered Hymara. I also think they have taken the time to understand me to get the markings correct unlike the last individual who did so, and she ruined my dark green markings in the process unlike Athya." The five of them get into the lift to go down to the skycar.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Good morning Kate. Where is Fosanta?"

"She is having a quick shower. You sound much happier this morning Seliha."

"I am as it is another easy week this week for me Kate. That reminds me I must send a message to Sam at some time." Seliha gets breakfast out for both herself and Adastra. "I guess your weeks are much of the same?"

"They are as Armali not only wish to certify manufacturers of ships but also the installers, resellers, buyers of the ships as well has individuals and organisations who recycle the parts once they have got to the end of their life. It is a long list and there are only four of us. It is rather nice though as a job unless the clients wish to be difficult by sending inappropriate individuals on their behalf or start offering bribes."

"You should take some of their offers for bribes if you think they will get the certificate anyway. You may as well get something extra for your work. Think of it as a performance related bonus and making up for those difficult individuals."

"I would feel bad about doing that Seliha."

"The individuals who can afford private transports, freighters or large plasma thrusters have so much income a meal or a weekend break is irrelevant to them Kate. To give you some idea, I think you earn just over half a million credits a year. A cheap, new passenger transport is two million and Adastra said that twelve metre plasma thruster you saw would sell for seventy two million."

"That much!?" Seliha nods with a slight smile. "I can see now why Adastra was so jealous of Sam getting a passenger transport."

"Kate your shuttle outside is probably the equivalent of a years worth of wages." Adastra walking in to the kitchen and taking a seat next to Seliha. "I overheard your conversation. The shuttle is that expensive because it can do FTL travel. A standard skycar or a planet shuttle is about a hundred to two hundred thousand new but second hand ones crop up working for as low as fifteen thousand or so."

"How much would a transport like Sam is to get cost?" Kate asking wondering quite how good of a deal he had got.

"Well the thrusters he picked are just under ten times more expensive than basic ion drives. I would guess about five million Kate once he has added the fusion core, eezo cores, non-haptic drive controls and his own interior."

"I think I may consider your advice Silana as it is obvious some people are getting paid much more than we do." Fosanta walks in.

"Morning you two. What advice was that Kate?"

"To accept some of these bribes I get offered if I know they would have got certification anyway."

"That is up to you but some of these individuals will rather spend a few thousand credits to do something quickly and to their satisfaction than to be disappointed. If you can work out which ones you can accept without feeling guilt then I would agree that you should do so."

"I guess if they offered monetary bonuses then I could give it to a charity."

"I like that idea Kate. Adastra and I should be leaving as I have someone I must meet this morning. Have a good day."

"Same you to Silana. Have a good day Adastra."

"I will Kate. I will see you both at lunch time." Kate and Fosanta nod before they leave.

"Sam got a good deal out of Armali and Sentix then."

"This house definitely would not have been cheap Kate. We have done well and we have a nice outdoor area with a pond."

"Perhaps I did not think of it quite like that Fosanta. We should be going as well as it is not long before my first appointment."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The five of them are in the lift heading to Olissa's office. "I am actually a little scared as I have no idea what will happen."

"I have a feeling you may have some convincing to do Sam as Olissa said to me it was company policy for employees not to have tattoos. She was even reluctant about Athya to begin with."

"I appreciate that help Silana as knowing that is useful." The lift doors open and the five of them turn left and walk down the corridor to her room. Sam knocks on the door. They hear a 'come in' from inside so they open the door and do so. "Good morning Olissa."

"I was expecting this given the news articles so I am less disappointed than I would otherwise have been. Would you care to explain why Sam?"

"We had got some skin markers off a particularly elusive individual. I thought we should have a play around with them yesterday. I was sensible and only drew where they could be covered up but Ami had other ideas for me. While I could have said no, I needed answers to questions and if you ever get to know Ami those opportunities do not come around often. She offered to answer any questions if I agreed to have markings on my face, neck and hands. I knew nothing at this point about their meanings but I did expect something like that to happen. She answered my questions and explained what the markings meant last night. I am not that bothered about what they tell others but she offered to have makings in the same style so I tried to keep hers a little more subtle as I know how difficult some Asari are with markings. I thought it was unfair for Silana to get away with not having any so that is the reason she has them as well. They will begin to fade in about seven days and mostly gone in ten."

"I am not sure whether I made the company rules clear to you on tattoos Sam so I will reiterate it. No employees are to have tattoos unless small, on the face and match their natural ones."

"I could argue if I wanted to be difficult that we are, strictly speaking, contractors, as Sentix have hired us on behalf of Armali and therefore that rule is non-applicable as we are not Sentix employees even though we work here. Also I must point out that thrusters do not care what the individual who is installing them looks like."

"I am tempted to send you to our orbital dock for a week but you make a valid point Sam. Since none of you are servants I feel it should not be our job to say how you should look even if personally I am not keen."

"Is there anything else I should be aware of Olissa?"

"Not particularly and I am sure Silana can inform you of the basics. You will both get a storage locker for any personal equipment that you find helps you with the job tomorrow. I will message you both the number of the locker allocated to you and Silana can show you where they are. Liphanya will be in hanger three with your first job. I am sure you will be able to find her."

"I am sure we can. Would this be a bad time to state that we have plans to go to Thessia on Saturday the eleventh of March for a week and a day? We need the time to sort out event materials with the University of Serrice, Vetiras Broadcasting and Galactic Acceptance."

"As long as outstanding work is completed before you leave then that will be ok Sam. I must however ask you to leave as I have a meeting in ten minutes and i wish to prepare."

"I appreciate you being reasonable Olissa." She nods and the five of them leave to walk down the corridor to head to hanger three. "Well that was much less difficult than I expected to be fair."

"I was most surprised that she did not force you and Amistathya to have ten days off and have Silana wear gloves to be honest Sam."

"She knows if I would not be working then neither would Silana hence nothing would get done Hymara." The five of them enter the reception area. "Morning Omepha. I am getting sick of that look as I feel I have bright yellow skin or something."

"My apologies Sam. I hope you all have a pleasant day."

"We will see how other people react but it could be a long day." She nods in agreement before they walk through the door onto the corridor and collect a transportation vehicle.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Silana. You will have to point Liphanya out to me but please do not say anything."

"I will be more than happy not to say anything to her Sam." The three of them walk into hanger three to see a small freighter with new hull plates being welded on. "She is the purple one with dark blue markings Sam." Sam nods and makes his way to an Asari who seemed overly on edge as she works down a list on a large datapad.

"Liphanya?" She looks up gaining a rye smile as she sees who it is.

"It is a bit different to what I usually expect. I see you have got some friends and even some commandos now Silana. I bet that makes you feel so much safer."

"Hello to you too Liphanya. I know this is a bit of a odd situation for you but could you inform us as to what we need to do so that we can leave and get on with it."

"I can see why you are so well trained Silana if Sam is like this. So efficient and to the point."

"I requested Silana not to say anything and I would quite like you to speak to me and not my servant Liphanya."

"I am highly amused you are the leader Sam as it is obvious you are way over your head with just your pet let alone a second servant."

"No Liphanya, Ami is nothing other than a very pleasant and wonderful individual. Never should she be compared to an animal."

"It is no more of an insult than comparing her to a flower." Sam turns to Silana, Amistathya, Hymara and Lianta.

"I can see this is going nowhere. We should just go for a look around and a talk to individuals."

"Where do you think you are going?"

"To do something more productive than waste my time having to listen to you being difficult Liphanya. Perhaps if you were friendlier and actually listened you would be an awful lot more useful as a manager."

"I manage with the thousands of servants here, you seem to struggle with two."

"I have only one servant Liphanya just to correct you. The second point is why are you trying to reassure yourself that you are the individual with more responsibility? Surely you should be responsible for ensuring jobs are done efficiently and not telling us what to do is hindering that process."

"The hierarchy is simple, your pets answer to you, and you answer to me. The job will be done whenever I decide to give you it and be done before the deadline I impose."

"Liphanya, I will go over your head given you are being deliberately difficult if I need to. I do not have time to stand around with an audience talking to some egotistical individual with delusions of greatness." Liphanya seems to drop her smile. "I dislike having this discussion but I am responsible for the future of billions of individuals over many, many generations, not just a mere few thousand servants. The thing that kills me most is I have to represent every one of those individuals and I can not speak to them. Your job is trivial in relation and to be honest could be done by a computer program." Liphanya, clearly having enough of her being undermined, launches a biotic push towards Sam. A few moments later, just before it hits Sam it explodes silently into small blue particles which just waft past him like a strong gust of wind. Hymara and Lianta had travelled the four paces forward to stand next to Sam.

"Liphanya, another attempt to injure Sam will result in you being shot. I hope that is clear." Sam looked around the hanger to see most of the workers had stopped and were viewing what was happening. "Please just give Sam the job he is meant to be doing and we can leave you."

"Liphanya, wasting my time, irritating me and mocking my bondmate was not the best idea in a first conversation. My intention was not to provoke but I only have so much patience. If you wish to talk to me later once everything has calmed down then I am sure that you can find me. All I would like to know is what we have to do. We can then leave you alone for the moment."

"Why should I tell such a difficult individual?" Sam sighs before turning around and beginning to walk off towards the ship. "You do not know what you are doing." Sam shrugs as he keeps walking; the others get the idea and join Sam. The five of them enter the ship via a temporary walkway.

"Thrusters are at the back of the ship unless I have the wrong idea. Since we are installers either they are there and all we need to do is connect them or we need to find them wherever they may be. We can at least get started either way as I am not going to let Liphanya waste our time, insult us and try to physically attack me for the privilege."

"You are right in that she should have been less difficult but she is sometimes like that."

"It is no excuse really Silana. A friendly greeting and just being given the job would have both been a lot quicker and given a positive first impression."

"While I think you did ok Sam you should not have provoked her by saying her job could be done by a computer program."

"It is true though Lianta and any comparison between my wonderful one and an animal is entirely inappropriate and degrading."

"I think you handled that well Sam and thank you for making me feel appreciated. I hope you do not mind me having an easy morning this morning as I have a bad headache from splitting that field."

"Not at all Ami as you deserve to be appreciated and respected, especially so when you are willing to prevent others hurting me." Amistathya smiles as she cuddles up to Sam as they make their way through the ship.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Can I ask why you are watching me?" Sam curious as to why a couple of red collared Asari are just stood in the corner watching him. "It is ok I do not mind if you speak to me. I know it is against the rules but you all look fairly alike and if I do not know your name then I would have no way of saying who spoke to me."

"Please take your time but you are stopping us from removing the old floor covering. We need to remove it to get to the floor panels underneath which need replacing. We will however happily wait until you are finished."

"I can always leave laying this fibre for a few minutes as my job is hardly time critical."

"It would not help as you seem to have a lot lying on the floor and we have been told before that it is quite easy to break."

"It is not too bad to work with to be honest but I get your point. So which group of individuals is it with red collars?"

"Internal structure fitment."

"I saw the individuals working on the hull had yellow collars. Are there any others I should be aware of?"

"Decorators have purple, propulsion green, drive systems orange and materials transport blue."

"I appreciate your help." Sam threads the fibres through the cable holder attached to the floor beam before moving along which allows the two individuals to pull up the first strip of the floor covering.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Whesiva joins Kate, Fosanta, Seliha and Adastra in the Skylounge. "I hope none of you mind?"

"Of course not Whesiva, how are you?" Adastra moves onto Seliha's knee to give space for Whesiva to sit down.

"I am good Kate. Does anyone have anything interesting to talk about?"

"I think the twenty metre thruster for the event may not be one plasma tube as we are beginning to think it would take months to get the design right."

"So what is the plan Adastra?"

"Samalya is running a simulation now and depending upon its results we may have to go for many plasma tubes in one casing."

"Well that sounds more interesting than my day Adastra. I have just been looking at a couple of predictive models for the better amplifier design on the nebula amplifiers." Seliha seems more interested in her Omni-tool that the conversation. "Messaging someone Seliha?"

"Sam as I got sidetracked this morning when I was going to ask if we could go around on Friday afternoon."

"I guess not having him around the house is still a bit strange?"

"I think having a male in the house is what made the difference Whesiva. It is not really quieter just different. I do have to say that I think I miss Athya as much as I do Sam even if I did hate her being his servant."

"Are there any more plans for the event yet Kate?"

"No Whesiva. We really should put some together soon as time is progressing. I keep getting messages from various people but I need an afternoon to sort them all out."

"I must leave to check on this simulation. Sorry Silana." Adastra gives her a kiss before getting up.

"I have a meeting shortly as well so I will join you Adastra." Kate gives Fosanta a hug. "I will talk to you all later." The three of them nod as the two of them leave.

"I have a non-optional meeting shortly. What are you two doing this afternoon?"

"Non-optional meetings as I have to sit in on Whesiva's meeting Seliha." She nods as her Omni-tool beeps.

_Seliha,_

_Of course you two can come around on Friday afternoon. We will be looking forward to seeing you._

_Sam_

"At least Sam seems happy enough to be meeting us on Friday. I must however be leaving as they do not like individuals being late." Fosanta and Whesiva nod and Seliha leaves.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I guess Seliha and Adastra want some time with just us, as having so many people in the apartment sometimes makes it difficult to get what you are trying to say across."

"I would like to have a bit of time with them but I am hoping Seliha is nice."

"I am sure she will be ok Athya."

"She did choke me once Silana so I am a little weary."

"I can understand your reservations then."

"I guess we have to go in a different queue to get lunch than everyone else Silana?"

"We do Sam, follow me." She turns left up ahead and they walk through a set of doors into a large dining hall. The general din of everyone talking subsides appreciably when people see Sam and two commandos walk in. "As you can see there is quite a queue down the left hand wall."

"How long does it usually take to get through that?"

"Fifteen minutes roughly." Sam just thought to himself that is a bit excessive as they are walking down the right hand side of the hall to a different serving area which had no queue at all.

"Good afternoon to you all. I am required to advise Sam that most meals served here may contain traces of element zero and while the amounts are considered safe for all, consumption of three meals a day, seven days a week may cause you issues."

"I feel the need to point out that I will not be eating every meal here and that I have been informed that I do not have to go out of my way to avoid trace amounts."

"I just need to inform you Sam so I do not loose my job." Sam nods and the rest of them order their food. Amistathya seemed to have her eye on the same fish soup that Sam did.

"Can I ask both why you are not a servant? Also given the fact we get our own queue and staff I also guess there are some specific tables for us?"

"I think the management do not particularly like being served food prepared by their servants. That is just my opinion however as I find most of the individuals pleasant. The non-servant tables are on the slightly raised platform at the back of the hall."

"I appreciate your help."

"I will see you tomorrow." The five of them pay for their meals before walking towards the raised seating area getting a few looks from around the hall.

"Sam, could I have a talk to you?" Olissa catching them as they walk past.

"Of course, can we?" Sam gestures to the spare seats around the table. Olissa nods and he takes a seat with Ami sitting on Sam's knee even though there was five spare seats at the table. "What was it that you wished to talk about?"

"I heard that there was some unwarranted activity in hanger three this morning Sam. I am interested in hearing your description of events?"

"Liphanya neither gave me a greeting nor seemed willing to inform us as to what we should be doing. She seemed intent on wasting our time as well as being difficult and calling Ami my pet. That annoyed me a little and when she tried to make herself important I had to put her handing of several thousand servants into context. I do not think she took that truth too well and decided to try and biotically attack me."

"I hope she did not injure you in any way Sam."

"Luckily not but I am still not impressed, especially when all I wanted is a greeting and to know what we had to do. We have just guessed what we needed to do this morning as sitting around doing nothing is not fun."

"You have both of the thrusters in that particular ship to install by Wednesday evening. I am not impressed at Liphanya using biotics against workers so I will have a word. I have also spoken to various individuals that to get updates on propulsion they must contact you directly not Liphanya at the moment."

"I am sure that will work ok. I had a talk to some of the interior fitters this morning while laying fibre and they were friendly if not overly happy."

"I guess you know that they should not speak to you Sam?"

"I do Olissa but as long as I do not slow them down working then I can see no harm in doing so and it may cheer them up a little."

"Just be careful that Liphanya does not find out as she is not all that impressed by you at the moment. I am going to arrange a meeting for next week to try and get this settled once the anger has died down."

"I am all for that Olissa and I offered to speak to her again if she wanted."

"I will message you the time later this week once I know what next weeks schedule is. I must however get back to my office as I have work I need to catch up on after sorting all of this out." Olissa stands from the table.

"I apologise for that if it was in any way my fault Olissa." She nods before walking out of the hall. "Well that was strange but at least we know what we are to do now."

"I am happier now I know the time-scale as I was worried it would be tomorrow afternoon and not Wednesday." Sam's Omni-tool beeps.

_Sam,_

_Expecting light to give you information by sound is a waste. Drawing an image would be much more useful to you, something that is large and unexpected. Keep listening as we do._

"These messages get increasingly strange every time I receive one."

"What does it say Sam?"

"It makes no sense what so ever Hymara so I cannot really explain it. I am sure it will do eventually."

"Is everyone ready to go back?" Silana keeping everyone motivated. Sam and Amistathya nod before they all get up from the table and head back to hanger three.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Whesiva and Fosanta were waiting in a side room in the administration building which they found a little strange. "There are only two of us for this meeting?"

"I have no idea what is happening Fosanta but this is the correct room." Whesiva turns to the door as it opens.

"My apologies to you both for being a little late. It is good to meet you again Whesiva and you must be Fosanta." She nods before the Asari locks the door and takes a seat behind the small desk. "My name is Pheinova and I am head of biotics at Thessia."

"It is good to meet you but why are you on Illium?"

"Usarta informed us last Tuesday of a bioamp project that was being developed at this facility Fosanta. The council board at Armali were entirely unaware that this was happening and they were rather unprepared for this revelation. This facility should not have the funding to produce new bioamp projects and an investigation revealed that while funding from Thessia was about correct, this facility makes millions more on propulsion products than it passes back to Thessia. This funding gets cycled back into development of which some is bioamp related."

"I guess they will have to provide more funding to Thessia in future then?"

"I am unsure what the board will eventually decide to do Whesiva. All I know is that they asked me to come here and see if we can progress this development to a point where we have solid data. The board are not particularly keen on putting lots of investment into this design as they had told Illium that this market segment would be break even at best."

"I guess Usarta was thinking of subsidising the development from the propulsion department."

"You could be right Fosanta. Anyway as to why you are here. Since you two were the individuals to produce the last design which had some promise, Armali asked me to work with you this week to produce one test amplifier. I have then been given discretion if I think the quality is good enough to provide both of the two test participants with a final design. If the quality is not good enough then the entire project will be scrapped, the test bioamps incinerated, and all files properly deleted."

"Why are they offering to produce a final design as this project would be months or years from being ready?"

"I, a number of years ago, was on the first development team of pulsar and one of our initial ideas was to create an amplifier that could be used by every pulsed biotic. It quickly became clear that it was not going to be possible without them costing millions a unit, so that design was scrapped at an incomplete stage and a new design made that focused on the typical pulsed biotics we see. It is this scrapped design that I finished and updated at the end of last week. It did not take much to get it theoretically solid but as you know with the pulsar design, theory and practice are entirely different at times."

"I know that from working with the sensors Pheinova as they are desperate for good data. How much is this design estimated to cost per unit out of curiosity?"

"The design which I have updated and will now only work for these specific individuals would probably be about double the cost to produce than the nebula design. They would have the be a custom design as well which pushes up costs further. Something around the six hundred thousand mark would be my best guess."

"Armali are willing to give that to two individuals?"

"The bioamps if they are produced will be tied to the individuals so only they could use them. They will be unbranded and unmarked, have a lot of hardware obfuscation and will deliberately produce noise to stop sensors. That last feature will not be in the test version in case you were worrying Fosanta."

"I am glad to hear that."

"I would like to see you both in room 25001 from tomorrow onwards as we need to look for possible test candidates. Whesiva we cannot use your last individual unfortunately as they are not quite the kind if individual we are after. I guess you used a hand-held scanner?"

"I did but only because Usarta did not want me to use the main equipment, given there would be logs of its use."

"I understand. I will see you both tomorrow where I will explain more." The two of them nod before getting up and leaving the room.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Two boxes Ami?" Sam noticing the pair of boxes waiting for their arrival outside the apartment door. She just smiles as she picks up one of the boxes and Sam picks up the other. "So what is in the other box?"

"I will tell you later Sam."

"I guess you two have some interesting things to watch this evening then?"

"Yes, you can always sit and watch with us if you wish Sam?"

"I need a little time to talk to Ami and Silana this evening so while what you are watching may be interesting it is not exactly well spent time for me today. Perhaps another evening Lianta." She nods as Sam and Amistathya take the two boxes into the storage room.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I do have to say that it is easier to accept certain bribes than not to do so but it still makes me uncomfortable."

"What were they offering Kate?" Seliha curious as to whether Kate had got something good out of it.

"Well to be fair she does have a bit of a criminal record but it was not related to ship parts or transportation of stolen or illegal goods so I deemed her as ok. I think she thought otherwise when she met me this morning as she seemed to become a little more anxious that I was the one to meet her."

"Are you going to tell us Kate?"

"I do apologise to you two but I have an offer for a double room for a week at the Vestiv Hotel, Serrice on Thessia." Fosanta seemed happy with that news.

"I guess you are going to stay there when we go to Thessia then?"

"She said she could not keep the offer indefinitely so I thought why not. I am not quite sure of the quality of the rooms but I am not too bothered as long as it is clean and has a good bed."

"It tends to cater less to someone who just wants a bed and more to those who would like a bit of comfort Kate. She must have a bit of an alternate motive as a week is more than I was expecting."

"I was thinking the same Seliha when I heard it. I am sure just having me stay there over a rivals hotel would more than pay for the cost of the room though. I guess that is why I was offered it."

"There is just myself and Seliha to find somewhere now. Do the others take the bribes Kate?"

"Their rules are never to take credits, Hayea who is about your age Fosanta has a daughter and she usually accepts weekend breaks or items which would be useful to her and her bondmate. The other two I think do not have a partner as they have both asked if I have and both seem to take offers of company and a bed."

"Are they younger individuals Kate?"

"Both of them are probably just a little younger than Seliha. Both of them look reasonable to me so I cannot see why they would be quite so desperate."

"Asari generally like to have someone to sleep with Kate, some can adapt to sleeping alone but others can find it makes them uncomfortable enough to get poor nights sleep. Company and a bed is an attractive offer to these people as it gets them a good nights sleep and makes them feel happier."

"Thank you for telling me that Adastra. I guess you are one of those individuals Fosanta?"

"Even though I hate to admit it, I am Kate. It is quite why I liked taking jobs on ships as I was always paired with another individual or found another Asari in the same position. If I was not with you Kate I would be accepting any and all offers of company even if it was just for one night."

"I guess none of the individuals who you were with ever offered to stay with you?"

"I have made a few requests that have been turned down. The only offer I received was from an individual who had an over-abundance of energy and no obvious inhibitions. She would therefore have been too much for me in the long term. She was a very pretty individual and I was very reluctant to give up the chance but I felt it was not the right decision for either of us."

"I could never get such individuals to stop harassing me without hurting them. Annoyingly there always seemed to be one on every other ship I was on."

"I guess you were nervous about them seeing your markings Adastra." She nods to Fosanta. "The individual I was talking about was sat alone in the middle of the night, on the first night, in the crew area. I guessed that she could not sleep either and I asked if she wished to sleep with me. I did say no melding but she seemed too happy to be bothered with that clause. I never once had a problem with her other than her being a little over friendly some evenings. The others on the ship found her wanting attention during the day when people tried to work difficult to cope with."

"I am just glad I can sleep well but just feel a little alone, otherwise I would have had problems. I think Kate is wondering how we got onto this topic from taking about bribes."

"I am a little Adastra. It is however quite interesting to hear these stories and it has given us something to talk about over the dinner table for once."

"I have plenty of stories but I am not sure you would like to hear them Kate. They are mostly about my time before Armali as nothing much out of the ordinary has happened since."

"Can I ask why you never became a commando Seliha?"

"Duality syndrome prevents me Kate; anyway I guess we should wash these dishes before the food dries on them." The four of them get up and begin to clear the table.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Amistathya, Sam and Silana walk into the storage room after eating and the three of them take a seat on the floor. "I asked you to join us Silana as I have a proposal. I know Sentix put twenty five years on your contract with me but I would be willing to let you go as early as the beginning of next month if you would like. I am willing to offer you my native language this evening, if Ami will help you avoid the traps. I however need to know you will be with us a long time as I was too quick to offer Seliha the same and was fortunate it seems to have worked out between her and Adastra."

"You wish me to stay your servant for the full contract term in return for learning your language?"

"No Silana. I must explain better... You can renegotiate your agreement with me before I end the contract. Once the contract has ended all I would like is for you to honour the agreement and stay with us. I would even consider allowing a bondmate here if you could convince me they are pleasant and would not hurt either of us. The only question is what is the least amount of time you would promise to stay with us?"

"I am not sure Sam. I mean my Sentix contract was the longest I have ever had and the shortest contract I had was two months, but I was never the one to decide on the length of time I was with someone. Do you have an amount of time you are thinking of Sam?"

"I do but I want to hear a number from you Silana. I will explain why I am doing it this way around afterwards."

"So I would be allowed a bondmate here?"

"As long as they are friendly and careful around Ami then I cannot think of a reason why not. The only thing that I would like to request in return for dropping the contract is that you do not to move out or stay away for longer than two weeks while under the time that you offer to stay with us."

"I will offer until my 475th birthday Sam which means about twenty one years and four months. I would be happy to stay around longer but I would quite like to have children before I am five hundred."

"That is fair enough Silana. The reason I asked you to name a time was for me to work out how comfortable and happy you were, and for me to work out if letting you learn English would be worth it. I think it certainly is therefore would you be happy to do so now?"

"I am if you are Sam but you mentioned traps." The two of them look towards Amistathya.

"Silana, ask Sam for everything you wish to look at. Do not put something back in a different place, modify anything or take anything. Please do not make it a full meld or force the meld otherwise it will trigger one of them."

"Is it safe to actually do this Athya?"

"If you just carefully form a connection and only look where Sam says you can then you can stay off the dangerous list and not hurt him. Sam will not trick you and does have everything sorted very well. You just need to know he cannot see what you are looking at so you need to inform him."

"I think I can do that Athya. Are you happy to start Sam as I am getting more nervous?" Sam lies down on the floor and gestures Silana to do the same which she does.

"I am happy now Silana."

"Close your eyes and follow the light Sam. Embrace eternity.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"That is really weird now after being used to Ami. It is ok Silana you can move around just do not look at anything without asking."

"Sorry Sam." Silana makes her way over from the door to Sam's desk. "It is a nice room."

"It is much better than I found it in originally. It had dull lighting and cold stone floors which was not exactly inviting."

"Can I ask what you meant about it being weird now or is that from the traps?"

"Ami has difficulty initiating melds and it causes me some rather bad neural instability. It also causes everything in here to be black and white for a few moments at first."

"I do not think Athya trusts me with knowing that kind of information."

"She does not trust me with it either but I feel I am almost her servant so it is not much of a risk for her." Silana laughs a little.

"I think you have the wrong mindset Sam. She is only being playful with you, if you do the same back then she will both appreciate it and you should feel less cornered. Yes I know I said I had never really taken a personal contract before. It was once, she marked me like you have done, put the restrictor on me and over the next two years taught me rather harshly how to please others. That is the reason why I can, after you saying what you have, know roughly what she is doing."

"Well that was a little unexpected. You do know Ami will find that information next time we meld so I hope you do not mind her knowing."

"I do not mind."

"So I guess she took individuals who liked physical interaction?"

"No as I was to get none except being beaten so she just took anyone who was inexperienced. The contract was for three months originally but had a clause which said it can be renewed until the point where the owner deemed the individual to have completed their role. I heard later that she has been known to keep individuals for ten or more years, usually because of her being unhappy with them. Most of her servants she got rid of ended up in the business of providing company and pleasure to others. I fortunately managed to get a job at a freight loading company which got me out of that line of work."

"I thank you for being honest and open Silana. I guess most servants end up being used for sexual gratification as they are easy to take advantage of and they cannot say no. I think Ami has as well even though she has not admitted that to me. That is why I have been reluctant to take advantage of her and why I am also weary of doing the same to you. Anyway back to the reason why you are here. English language is down the first isle and is the fourth, fifth and sixth sets of shelves on the right. I will gather together the other bits that you need to get a better idea." Silana nods with a slight smile before walking down isle one. Sam gathers some other books on communication, science and technology before taking them back to the desk in two trips. Sam just sits down in front of the fire before Silana reappears.

"It is not the nicest language to learn. I mean no offence by that comment Sam but the rules are in some places rigid and in others totally ignorable."

"It is at least rather expandable and adaptable along with not being in any auto-translators."

"I think real-time auto-translation would be difficult with this language but I am not really an expert."

"I am just hoping that you can pick it up a little better than Ami did as she really struggled to begin with. The books on here will help you and you can look through whatever you wish."

"I will not be all that good with it either to begin with Sam." Silana leafing through one of the books as she speaks.

"I generally speak to Ami in English when we are alone as she seems to like it. I can quite easily offer to do the same for you if it would help."

"It would as it would give me the practice that is needed."

"I will do that then Silana. If you cannot understand something then do say so." Silana puts down the last book on the desk.

"I will Sam. I feel you are quite good at picking out what I needed to be able to have a reasonable grasp of the language."

"I have taught five individuals it now Silana, you start to figure out what they need when they all ask to see the same things." She nods.

"Just relax Sam." He nods before sitting back on his chair.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam opens his eyes just as Ami decides to climb on top of him. "I only said about it being weird not having everything black and white at the beginning."

"You are too frightened Sam."

"I think you mean defensive but I get your point Silana." The sky blue one smiles.

"So we can speak English now?"

"Yes Ami, I know you like it for some strange reason. Can I ask why you are sat on me though?"

"You were longer than I expected and want to know what else you talked about."

"That Silana has had some gratification training from an owner in the past and that she thinks I should be more playful with you to counteract this feeling of you having dominance over me." Amistathya smiles to Silana who sits up before looking back at Sam. "Why do I feel worried now?" Amistathya pulls over the first box to be next to Sam's head before opening it and pulling out a green harness. Sam takes it and has a careful look. "I am just making sure you did not change something Ami."

"I am trustworthy if it is important Sam. Also I am not as sure as you are, as to how your body would react if I made any big changes."

"Well one strap between the legs would probably have caused some damage in a fall. I know I do not exactly need reproductive organs with you but I would quite like to keep them intact. I guess yours is just a little smaller and a different colour?"

"I chose sky blue as I thought it would match my markings."

"Silana what colour is yours?"

"Green Sam."

"I guess for the same reason as Ami?" Silana nods. "So if both of the harnesses were in the first box then what is in the second?"

"I will not take it out of its packet." Sam nods as Amistathya leans over and pulls the packet out of the second box and hands it to Sam.

"A silvery blue dress, interesting. I guess that is for your birthday hence why you are not eager to show me?"

"Yes. The design is a little riskier which I hope you like."

"I apologise for this Ami." She looks confused before Sam gets his legs around her and pulls her backwards. "Great this does not exactly help me. Silana in that square box there should be a vibrator if you look around. Could you pass me one?" She moves around the two of them who were in a bit of a tangle on the floor and goes digging in the box.

"Why have you got all of this?"

"To tie you up with if you misbehave Silana, can you just hand me one?" She hands a purple vibrator to Sam who turns it on and gets it up Amistathya's skirt. "Is a skirt alone enough for you now Ami?"

"Yes." Sam wondered if she was keeping it brief because she was concentrating more on what was happening physically. Sam decides to take the risk and begins to push the vibrator inside her. "Oh, no Sam."

"Yes Ami, just relax."

"I thought Athya did not like that last time Sam."

"True Silana but it is not like she can resist me as her legs are spread and I managed to get her arms with my legs." Sam feels Amistathya finally relax from struggling to get away from the vibrating invasion with a deep breath. Sam pulls the vibrator out. "Will you get off me now Ami if I let go of you."

"Yes." Sam takes his legs from around her and she does indeed shuffle backwards off Sam before lying back down on the floor, her eyes closed but a smile on her face.

"Do you feel left out Silana?"

"Not really."

"I hope you do not mind then if we went to bed as it is getting a little late." Sam gets up off the floor with Silana doing likewise.

"That is fine."

"Are you going to get up Ami? I also hope I have not bruised you." She opens her eyes and carefully sits up before standing up and giving Sam a hug. "Are you good to go to bed?" She nods and the three of them leave the room, Amistathya with her arm around Sam. "I will see you two tomorrow."

"Sleep well Sam." He hears between the two of them laughing at the video screen as he walks up the stairs.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am rather looking forward to Thessia now as it is going to be two weeks away from work in comfortable beds."

"I still do not feel entirely sure I should have taken the bribe but Seliha and Adastra put it into perspective for me this morning. I do have to say that Seliha is very easy to talk to when she is in her less self-centred personality."

"I think Adastra is trying to help her a little Kate but how much of a difference that makes we will have to see. I seem to have a busy day tomorrow with a change to the specifications causing me to have to change my designs."

"I will let you get to sleep then Fosanta." Kate gives her a kiss before helping Fosanta tuck the duvet around her neck and folds as they settle down close to each other.

"I need to say you do a wonderful job at making sure I am comfortable Kate."

"I just thought that you would rather the tips of your folds were not cold. I have hair to help but you do not."

"It is not a problem usually unless the room is cold Kate. I really do not want to move though now as I am warm and comfortable." Fosanta slides her arm around her. "I hope you sleep well."

"I should do. Sleep well." Fosanta gives Kate's back a gentle rub in response as she closes her eyes, Kate doing likewise with a smile moments later.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**Yes I know it is a shorter chapter to end on for a short while but it sets up a number of things that are to happen over the next few chapters. The next chapter will be rather interesting and will be posted on the 22nd December. As I stated previously this time is needed for me to progress this story much more quickly to get it complete. I do hope to provide possibly an update on the 26th and on the 29th as well to help keep individuals entertained over the Christmas week.**

**If you have time to make a review it would be appreciated.**

**I hope everyone who reads this has a pleasant run-up to the Christmas period.**


	52. Chapter 52 : Explain Yourself

**Chapter 52 - Explain Yourself**

* * *

><p><strong>Tuesday 21st February 2017<strong>

Sam had been watching Ami sleep for the last couple of minutes but it was time to get up. He leans forward a little before licking her nose. A smile creeps across the sky blue ones face before she opens her eyes. "Morning Ami."

"I knew you were holding back. I am glad that you are finally expressing yourself."

"It is difficult for me to know exactly what you like as you said you had a fear of being naked after being abused. Wearing a skirt with nothing underneath yesterday would hardly impede anyone though."

"I was naked Sunday night in front of Silana while putting her markings on her hands. Yes I was nervous but I was fairly convinced that she had no intentions of hurting me. I therefore felt happy enough just to wear a skirt as I have offered myself to you and Silana I think understands. The skirt is mostly to stop Hymara and Lianta as they are a little unknown."

"That seems reasonable, but the fact you seemed to struggle a little and said no yesterday, was that just the fear and you rather liked it?"

"Of course I like it Sam. It is more the fact that if I am not in control of what is inserted then it brings back memories and the fear along with it. I need to learn to trust you Sam so pushing my limits as you did yesterday is good and if it is you taking advantage of me then I can feel even better knowing you got something out of it as well."

"Well you did repay me yesterday by stopping Liphanya pushing me arse first into a wall so that was something."

"That made me feel funny for a while after doing that and I was worried that she may try it a second time. That is the only problem with my biotics, they are weak and I physically cannot manage much more than one action every couple of minutes. Unfortunately after my suicide attempt I bet I could only manage two actions before feeling awful."

"I guess the actual process is much like lactic acid in muscles then?"

"It is probably similar but since I probably know more about your biology than I do my own I do not know for sure."

"We should be getting up and having breakfast." Ami licks Sam's nose before shuffling across the bed and getting up. Sam can only sigh as he dries his nose on the duvet before getting out of bed.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I guess neither of you saw some interesting news pieces on Sam yesterday?"

"By interesting what do you mean Seliha?" Fosanta asking the question Kate wanted to but a mouthful of food prevented her.

"The fact he was hit by a biotic push from one of the workers. The quality given the lighting was not really good enough to see who but reports say that it was the hanger manager."

"Do you know if he is ok?"

"He seemed fine Fosanta given the push exploded just before it hit him."

"I know what you did to Maritha Adastra and I have been lifted with biotics but quite how dangerous are they?"

"I would have shown you Kate but I cannot be confident of not hurting you with a bioamp. A throw can kill someone if they are thrown backwards into something solid and crack bones if it is something that deforms."

"I think I will be ok without a demonstration Adastra especially when I have three clients to see this morning."

"I am going to send a message to Sam anyway as he may be bruised." Fosanta opens her Omni-tool.

"We must be going so can you tell us how he is at lunchtime?"

"I will Adastra. Have a good day." The two of them nod before leaving.

"Can I ask you to show me what I could expect with biotics if they were used against me? I have only been biotically lifted which was strange."

"Being lifted is a little strange Kate. Since you have finished your breakfast I will show you a push if you would follow me." Kate follows Fosanta to their spare bedroom. "Could help me put that mattress against the wall Kate?" The two of them tip the mattress off the bed and walk it along to the wall.

"I guess this is so that I do not get hurt?"

"I am hoping so Kate. If you could stand in front of it. My only piece of advice is to try not to push it away with your hands as it may hurt or break something." Kate nods and Fosanta releases a weak push directly into Kate's chest pushing her into the mattress a little.

"That is not what I was expecting, Kate catching her breath a little."

"I hope you are not bruised or hurt?"

"I am not as it was only like catching something heavy that was being thrown at me. I am not sure whether knowing what it feels like is a good thing though as I guess that was fairly weak?"

"It was the weakest I could be without having to use a limiter Kate."

"I can see how it could cause some damage in that case. We should be leaving as I have a meeting at ten." Kate noting the time on her Omni-tool.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The five of them walk into the locker room, Sam carrying a box. "The message said one zero seven one for me."

"I am next to you then." Ami smiling and her smile getting slightly wider as Sam jumps with his Omni-tool beeping. Sam puts the box down in front of the locker before reading the new message.

_Sam,_

_I heard this morning that you had been attacked yesterday. We were all a little concerned you may have been hurt._

_Fosanta_

"It is nice to know people keep an eye out for you but considering I did not message Fosanta saying I am a cripple in hospital, then they should have got the idea that I am ok."

"I am sure a quick message back would not hurt anything or take much time Sam."

"You are probably right Silana." Sam begins composing a quick message as Amistathya empties her items out of the box into her locker.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Good morning come in." Pheinova being in a good mood it seemed this morning. Fosanta walked into room 25001 to see Whesiva already at one of the three consoles around a square table in the middle of the room.

"Morning Whesiva." She looks to Fosanta and gives a nod and a smile before getting back to work. "This room is not overly large is it?"

"Unfortunately you are correct Fosanta. It has all the testing equipment that we will likely need in and enough space for one individual to be tested but a bigger room with more equipment and space would have been better."

"Why could we not have one of the normal testing rooms?"

"It is difficult to take them without the whole biotics department finding out about why and what is happening. We therefore have to make use of this room as best that we can. If you two need an excuse as to why you are not in your normal rooms say that you are on a course covering non-obvious behaviours of bio-amplification."

"Is there a reason you picked that topic Pheinova?"

"I used to teach it as an off campus subject for an Armali college Whesiva. I thought it would be preferred to the use of biological nervous systems to augment stability control systems in bio-amplification."

"It is as we could be a little creative if we were asked what we had been learnt."

"That was my thinking Fosanta. To begin what we need to do today. First I must point out that all Terasol files are only available to this room and please do not remove them on Omni-tools or data disks." The two of them nod. "The second is I think I may have one interested individual and there may be a second but it may have to be taken a little cautiously."

"Can we ask who Pheinova?"

"Ebaea is a friend of mine who I have known for many decades. She has always been keen to have a bioamp but the cost of one from Serrice is extortionate for something which they cannot guarantee performance on. I am sure she would jump at this opportunity and she is the right kind of individual. I guess you have both read the news this morning and seen a potential second candidate?"

"You mean the piece about Sam being attacked on his first day and the push exploding?"

"Yes Fosanta. I am hoping that you have kept ties with him after he was requested to not work here as we need to ask who it was."

"He is now living in Astys Building, apartment 801, with Amistathya, his servant Silana and his two commandos for security Pheonova. I am curious as to why you would like to know as Sam is not biotic."

"I understand that Fosanta but since he was right there then he may know who caused it to explode. The video footage the media has obtained has very poor lighting so it is difficult to know who caused it. It may well have been a worker but at least Sam may be able to narrow down our search even if it was."

"Can I ask to get us back on topic why you are a manager and not a designer when you can produce bioamps like this so quickly?" Pheinova laughs a little.

"I have not produced this in less than a week Whesiva. As I said I made this many years ago when we were designing the Pulsar amplifier range. All I have done is finished off and updated the design with a couple of individuals from that old team. I then gave it a little tweak to make it work for our application and to obscure how it works." Fosanta opens the file and notices three designs.

"Can I ask why there are three variations?"

"Ebaea will probably be happy enough to use 15mm for testing but she really does not like them for long term wear. There is a separate design for testing and the considered consumer version as the consumer version has a lot of hardware obfuscation and it also produces a lot of random noise to block sensors."

"I hope you do not want sensors in that design Pheinova as that may be a tough ask."

"We need DNA and neural mapping sensors Fosanta but nothing more. These designs are being made with the intention of only the given owner being able to activate and use them. The design would be quite sort after by Serrice Council even if it provides less amplification given it is much cheaper to make than their design and works for almost any pulsed biotic if some changes are made."

"How do you know what the Serrice design is like?"

"We have one in our labs on Thessia Whesiva. We like the design but we are unwilling to take the same approach as it is expensive to manufacture and has too much variability between units. We like the best we can get out of only a reasonable amount more than the cost of an Armax bioamp and have consistent quality and performance."

"That is good to know. I guess I should get to work putting the sensors in the test version?"

"If you would not mind Fosanta. I just have some more changes to make to the proposed consumer designs." Fosanta nods to Pheinova before they both get to work.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"How long until you get rid of the two with guns?" Sam heard off to his left as they walked into hanger three. He looks over to see Liphanya looking over to him, a datapad in her hand.

"Well that depends on when I feel safe but given someone around here tried to squash me against a wall yesterday then I feel it is a necessary precaution."

"It was your own fault."

"Perhaps but it was hardly a friendly way to greet a new individual by mocking their choices and decisions. Ami is my bondmate and is not my pet; Silana while she is my servant is just looking for a quiet life where she is appreciated. I got the feeling from talking to her that she did not get that here."

"Servants are to be used as their owners see fit. If you are too weak to be an owner then perhaps you should consider letting Silana go."

"I considered that on Sunday Liphanya. Do you have any more advice?"

"Get a proper job sometime soon, perhaps in a warm office with comfy seats."

"Perhaps I should get a comfy seat that I can fold up and keep in the locker. Thinking about it, that would be a really good idea." Sam could see an annoyance forming on Liphanya's face. "If you have an issue with me being here then please speak to Olissa but I do hope you have a pleasant day." Sam decides to disappear into the ship before something happens.

"Do you have to be so annoying to Liphanya Sam?"

"Do either of you three think I was unreasonable?" Amistathya shakes her head.

"I think you may have to tread with a little more caution than you are doing at the moment Sam."

"I agree with Lianta but we have discussed with each other that we should be with you continually here. Unlike at Armali who have a tight security procedure, here I feel they take almost anyone who they have a job for and security is not much more than a door."

"I feel that is something that you should decide not me Hymara. Silana it can be difficult at times for me to understand what is reasonable and what is not after melding with Ami. I feel I am trying to be nice to her but I will take Lianta's advice and be a little more cautious. The fact you are defending her is worrying me though."

"Keeping Liphanya happy was one of the things everyone did to make their lives easier. The fact you seem not to follow that accepted wisdom makes me a little anxious as to what may happen."

"Nothing will happen Silana. It is just the fact she seemed intent on insulting or provoking me that irks me a little. I do not mind her being cold or uncaring as long as she is not aggressive in her intent." The three of them walk into the thruster space at the back to the ship to find a servant waiting for them. "Could we help you?"

"Erm, I, sorry, we would highly appreciate you informing us when you may finish the gas feeds." The Asari really sounding nervous.

"Can I ask if this is just for information or is it important that it is done before everything else?"

"I, sorry, we were informed to ask you directly for updates and not Liphanya."

"That will probably be a wise idea as I am not exactly getting along too well with her at the moment. She just needs to treat people a little better and everything will be much happier. Anyway is it important that we get the gas feed done soon or not?"

"I apologise but I do not know. I was only requested to find out when they may be completed."

"Silana, is there anything stopping us concentrating on the gas feeds and if so how long?"

"We need to complete power first as I guess if the gas feeds are going in then the fusion core will be started this evening. We can leave control until tomorrow but it will be the end of the day before the gas feed is completed."

"The end of today is therefore your answer. If your group leader would like it completing sooner then we may be able to work something out. I hope you have a pleasant day." She nods before leaving. "Poor individual, she looked rather scared."

"I guess some of the individuals in here see you as an individual more like Olissa than a servant Sam. I can hardly blame them as I was rather scared at first as well."

"I remember that. I guess I should get to work instead of talking."

"It would probably be a good idea." Sam nods to Silana before beginning to help her with checking the power systems are correct.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Seliha and Fosanta are not going to be joining us today Kate." Adastra sitting down at the table.

"I know about Fosanta saying she would be eating later but unfortunately I cannot as I have an appointment. What is Seliha doing?"

"Some piece of work she said she needed to get done before lunch."

"Did you not want to have your lunch later with her or do you have somewhere else you need to be soon?"

"I have spent most of the morning waiting for the simulator. We had to split the twenty metre design down into nineteen smaller plasma tubes. So that is what is currently running and until we get the results back there is not much we can do. It was estimated to finish in about half an hour. It is a pity we could not have had lunch earlier."

"It seems we are in the same situation then Adastra. Can I ask who started the show on Sunday in Eternity?"

"I may have teased Seliha a little too much. I was certainly not expecting her to react quite that way but it was good and it seems to have made her a little happier which is nice."

"Have you ever found her scary Adastra?"

"Not really Kate. She has been manipulative and a little forceful at times but she seems to care about me so it is not a problem. How are you finding Fosanta?"

"She is a warm, friendly and caring individual who I really care about. I am however still trying to wrap my head around the odd concept of if we are to have a child then I would be its father. Sam has this easy as he can essentially pick any Asari he wishes and it works out conceptually fine."

"You could always see if Fosanta was willing to adopt a child from a male and yourself if that is such a strange concept for you."

"I am sure I would be ok with it Adastra but it just seems strange. I must however leave as I have a meeting shortly."

"I will speak to you later." Kate nods before she leaves Adastra to finish off her lunch.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I wonder who that could be at this time of the evening?" Sam reacting to the sound of the door chime. "It would have to be while we are eating as well."

"I will get it Sam." Lianta leaves her food to go to the door.

"Good Evening. I apologise for interrupting but could I speak to Sam?"

"Pheinova?" She nods. "You are a long way from Thessia. Come in." Lianta gestures her in and shows her to a seat.

"Well I was not expecting it to be you who turned up today Pheinova. How are you?" Sam shuffles Amistathya off his knee before scooping his plate up off the dining table and walking to the sofa.

"I am well Sam. I am most surprised you are not still working at Armali."

"I stick to my decisions if I feel they are right Pheinova. That meant staying with Ami even if it meant having to move out of the house with the others and find a new job."

"That would be why I am here to be honest Sam. I cannot say much other than do you know who saved you from getting thrown backwards yesterday."

"That would be my sky blue one Pheinova." Sam gestures her to join him from the table.

"It is a... pleasure to meet you." Pheinova seemingly a little unsure about something as Amistathya sits down next to Sam and cuddles up to him.

"Let me guess, you do not like her body? I seem to be finding that most older Asari are either only accepting or outright dislike them."

"I am sure that you have likely been told why Sam."

"The sky blue markings on her arms and legs are natural. The rest are the result of someone giving me a marker pen. The black marks on my face and hands are also marker pen along with all the marks on Silana except the dark green ones."

"I was aware you had marks on your face, neck and hands from looking at the media reports Sam. I was not quite expecting to see Amistathya quite like this. The shamelessness of deliberately showing so much body marking is not helping me form a great opinion of you."

"I know I have been told why this stigma is attached to body markings but can I ask why it is so strong? Asari seem open and rather promiscuous at times so why is showing this a bad thing, especially in the privacy of our own apartment?"

"Perhaps you would be correct when we are young Sam but less so as we get older. I even thought tattoos were a silly idea when I was a maiden and it has only become a more contrasting viewpoint as I have grown older."

"I think you should at least consider an exception for individuals such as Adastra and Ami as they had no choice in their markings. I think it was Adastra, but I may be wrong, who said after I had complimented her that it was the first time she had felt happy in her body in decades. If an individual is willing to be tattooed then they should be willing to cope with the negativity but not those who had no choice just because of a random mutation."

"I guess you like them then Sam?"

"Ami is my bondmate and a wonderful individual Pheinova so that is a bit of a silly question. I also seem to empathise with marked Asari as all they wish is to be accepted as a normal individual. Can we at least get back to why you are here if you are intent on disliking Ami?"

"I am not sure I should. I thought if it was Amistathya it was to be a big risk already."

"I really hope that Athya having markings is not affecting your judgement Pheinova. I am Silana if you wish to know and no, none of the markings on my body are real or permanent." Silana making sure to emphasize the point so she is not given a negative first impression.

"I believe Silana is walking in at the right point here. I personally am fairly open minded towards others and I believe Lianta is as well hence why we were chosen to be Sam's security. While I know about how much some Asari detest tattoos as they see it as destroying a perfectly nice body, this almost bullying is a bit of a shock. We pride ourselves as a species on being accepting, respectful and understanding towards other species but we have some inability to do the same for ourselves. The fact you seem to be considering denying Amistathya an opportunity just because she has natural markings is a rather striking example of this differentiation." Hymara appeared to feel a little happier after the rant given the less tense look on her face.

"You articulate a valid point. I was here to offer the individual who saved you yesterday Sam to come to Armali in the near future."

"Well it would not be for propulsion if you are after biotics so it must be for testing and I guess since you are targeting specific individuals it is a new development part. You may as well come clean as Seliha was almost the same when trying to get Adastra to join the pulsar testing group."

"This design is being completed tomorrow and results will determine whether it gets scrapped entirely or gets advanced into a custom product. We are offering the customised product to the test participant to keep once it has been tested against the test version to ensure there are no discrepancies in results."

"Why would Armali give away bioamps?"

"We throw away fifty testing bioamps a month Sam, if an individual can make use of them then they may as well do so instead of having them incinerated. The two questions I have to ask if you are to accept are, do you have a 15mm holder Amistathya and will you be happy with a personal design bioamp with no text or logos on at all?

"I could use a dress and can I colour the design how I wish?"

"You can make the design however you want. I guess from your response that I should provide a 15mm holder."

"You do not need to Pheinova, Ami's dresses are essentially created from a bioamp holder and they still work as such. I guess you just wanted her to put it on before she arrived?" She nods. "So when should we arrive as Thursday I would really like to keep free as I have a passenger transport to look at and Friday afternoon Seliha and Adastra are going to come around here?"

"I do not think it would take long so Friday morning would be ok. I will happily pick Amistathya up from here and bring her back."

"I would not try to separate me from either Ami or Silana Pheinova. I will come along and go to meet Adastra or something. Silana can stay with Ami while she is testing to keep her away from everyone else."

"That is all well and good Sam but I need this keeping quiet and having you make an appearance will create suspicion."

"What if I said Silana needed to be tested to see if she could biotically catch either myself or Ami as there has to be an individual on each team who can. It is plausible as Silana was not a team previously and so had no need to be tested. I can say Amistathya is keeping her company."

"I can see that being believable. If you could meet Adastra in the Skylounge then I think Usarta would prefer it as having you going into a development room could cause headaches."

"I will and we could always get a lift back here with Adastra and Seliha."

"Then it is agreed. I will arrive here to collect you on Friday morning."

"Have a pleasant evening." Sam gets a nod off Pheinova before she leaves the apartment. "Ok I am starting to believe getting people to understand the marking condition you have Ami is going to be a struggle at best."

"I know it would be more worthwhile talking to a sunfish Sam but I really do appreciate you for trying."

"I think it could be the shock of seeing something different Sam. I was a little like that when I first looked in the mirror the other day but now I really like what you have drawn on me."

"I am glad you have warmed to them Silana. I believe you two wished to have some questions answering this evening about us three?"

"We did. I just need to go to the toilet first though." Sam nods and Lianta leaves.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra leaves the dining room table to go to the toilet. Seliha waits a few moments to allow her to get up the stairs. "I hope neither of you two are offended but I am hoping that Adastra will accept an offer on Friday while we are at Sam's apartment."

"An offer of what Seliha?"

"A ritual Kate. It is not easy to get the more traditional ones here on Illium. I have a friend at the Thessian facility who has agreed to put one on the parts freighter. It means I should be able to pick it up on Friday from Armali."

"Why are they not easy to get hold of?"

"I will let Fosanta tell you later Kate as I want to keep this a surprise." Kate nods and the three of them get back to eating. It is a minute or so more before Adastra turns up which gives Seliha a bit of confidence that she did not hear the plan.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I said I wished to get to understand you three a little better but I am confused as to where to start." Sam looks over his shoulder to see Lianta just walking across from the bottom of the stairs.

"Well, Ami is a little difficult to explain for the moment. Silana has an agreement separate from the contract that she is willing do as I suggest. That is the reason she has two stripes on her upper leg and not one."

"So you just do as Sam asks Silana?"

"I can make requests Lianta but it is up to Sam as to whether I get what I want or not. He may accept, negotiate or decline my request and his opinion is final. If Sam makes the request then there is a little scope for negotiating as Sam is not mean but generally what he requests is final."

"Is that a little clearer about Silana?"

"It is. What is the agreement between yourself and Amistathya?"

"We have agreed that we can consider that we own each other but she must compensate me for what I do where as I do not have to do so. I actually think this agreement is remarkably similar to what we had before with the contract."

"So Amistathya, if you wish Sam to do something you need to provide him a reason to do so?"

"Yes, I already owe Sam everything so I feel guilty if I do not offer something in return Hymara."

"Could someone explain why you get these silly ideas at times as I think that is what is confusing Lianta and I the most."

"The coloured shower gel was Adastra's idea, hanging Kate upside down was Ami's idea and going to meet Silana was my idea as it was a bad day the day before. I have no idea who you can blame for the ritual, it was my idea for Olissa to come while we were ill as everyone was here and it got things sorted out. It was my idea to use the coloured markers that came in the box with the ritual as it would have been a waste otherwise. I was intending to keep the marks that were made hidden but Ami decided otherwise. Ami was the one who decided to kiss me in front of the reporters, not that I was complaining. Does that clear up who caused what Hymara?"

"It does but it does not explain why Sam."

"Adastra likes being a little silly so that is self explaining. I think Ami is both exploring her freedom and only having a bit of fun with the individuals she trusts no matter what anyone else thinks."

"Is Sam right with his assumption?"

"It is hard for me to describe to people Lianta. If I can see potential for personal satisfaction or excitement in a situation I feel I must take it if I have the opportunity."

"I think I understand Amistathya but it is not really helping us."

"What did you get on Wednesday Ami and could the others join in?"

"I think there may be enough for us all to have some fun." She has a think for a few moments. "Can I trust you two not to hurt me?"

"We have tried our best to stop you being harmed Amistathya. Why do you ask anyway?"

"In my personal belongings which I got back from Atansys last week I had an extra box. Someone is keeping an eye on me but they are being very secretive. The box has a number of things in for a messy evening of fun. I thought you two may wish to join in but I am unsure if I can trust you."

"What do you mean by messy evening of fun and why are you unsure?" Amistathya looks to Sam.

"I have said this before Ami, Hymara and Lianta look intimidating but they are not. I guess I should explain so we are not here waiting for Ami all evening. She was sexually abused in her past and so she has a hard time trusting people when she is naked."

"If you are happy to still offer Amistathya then just tell us what we can and cannot do. Both myself and Hymara have been taking orders for longer than you have been alive so we know what it means to break one."

"I will get the box and meet you all in the bathroom." Sam and Silana seem the keenest and quickly stand as Amistathya goes to get her box from the storage room. Hymara and Lianta follow behind Sam and Silana into the bathroom.

"Do you have any idea what is to happen Sam?"

"Well mess does not mean a shower if that is what you are thinking Hymara. Quite what, I have no idea. Ami has been a bit of a tease by not saying when I ask. If you are worried ask her if you can see what is to happen before agreeing." Sam pulling his t-shirt off as he talks.

"It is just I have never done this before with an individual I should be protecting." Amistathya walks in with the box. "Amistathya, would it be ok if Lianta and I looked at what is in the box first before agreeing?" She locks the door with a carefully placed elbow before turning around and placing the box in the middle of the floor.

"You can look if you wish." Lianta goes into the box as Amistathya moves into the corner by the bath before beginning to take her clothes off.

"Ok, I see what Amistathya meant by you not being quite what I expected Sam." Sam laughs as he puts his clothes to the back of the worktop.

"I am still wondering quite what you all expect Hymara. Seliha seemed to have a similar not quite sure how to react look."

"I think it is the fact we are a mono-gendered and female species that confuses us the most Sam. The fact you are very similar but yet you are male is a very strange concept."

"Will the strange concept be stopping you of staying Hymara?"

"What is in the box Lianta?" She holds out a large bottle of something for Hymara to take. "Oh."

"That was my thought as well Hymara. Can I ask while we are trying to get some questions answered why you get these kinds of items Amistathya?"

"It is a gift from the same individual who gave us the ritual. Are you going to stay or leave us?" Lianta looks to Hymara as Sam digs in the box.

"Do you know who it actually is now as I have a suspicion it is not Sha'ira or Holana?"

"I have only really spoken to her once and she was a waitress at the time."

"So you have only met her once and yet she gave you a ritual?" Amistathya nods her head before taking the bottle out of Sam's hands as he was reading the label. "Are you going to tell us why?"

"I think the sky blue one is more interested in what is about to happen Lianta. I bet she knows Ami quite well though and they have met more than once. It is just that the last few times it was not exactly the best situations to get to know each other better."

"Can you at least tell us who it is Sam?"

"Not unless Ami is happy for me to do so. I apologise Hymara but she is going to quite long lengths to keep herself hidden and I am confused as to why. I think Ami was trying to get us a meeting with her when we go to Thessia but I am not sure what is happening about that. Are you going to stay with us or not as we are waiting for you two if you are?" Sam moves to the box and pulls out a second bottle and looks at the label.

"Standard rules and no melding or toys." Silana and Amistathya nod to Hymara who seems happy enough to begin undressing.

"I have no idea what standard rules are."

"Basically Lianta and Hymara would like you to stop something if they ask you and no fighting."

"Right so basically no fighting oh and no sex with me either please. I am waiting for Ami to have the honour of being the first Asari." Amistathya smiles before squirting Sam with something. "Hey. Can I ask what this actually is?"

"It changes your skin colour to green where you lick it."

"You have not seen me yellow have you Lianta. It is not a pretty sight." Sam sighs. "I may as well help you make it an even coating Ami as I see I have little choice." Silana goes to the box and pulls out a bag of what looks like white sand. "Let me guess, that is edible as well Silana?"

"It is Sam although it does not list a flavour." Silana makes a hole in the bag and sticks a damp finger in. "Oh that is not all that pleasant. It feels like you are licking broken glass until it goes fizzy." Hymara pulls out one of the two small pots of something and opens the lid.

"I wonder what this is?" Hymara looking at the viscous green liquid in the tub.

"Ami, have a go at Silana for a minute. Hymara." Sam gestures her to hand over the pot which she does so. Sam prods his finger into the pot only to find it bounces off as if it was made of rubber. "I know what this is." Sam pours some out into the palm of his hand before handing the pot back to Hymara. He then rolls the fluid into a ball and throws it at the floor, only for it to bounce, hit the ceiling and Lianta to catch it only for it to begin to run between her fingers a few seconds later as she watches it. "That is cool although quite what you could do with it I have no idea."

"Can you save me half a pot? You can play with the rest as you wish."

"I guess you are not going to say why either?" Amistathya shakes her head with a smile as Silana finishes off covering her legs. Sam takes the bag of sand from the floor and liberally coats the two Asari. "What?" Silana hands the bottle of lubricant to Hymara. "Would you like a hand before Ami decides to kill me?"

"Since we are trying to be a part of this then you will hear no complaints from us Sam." He just takes a breath and makes a mental note to be confident and respectful before helping Hymara with Lianta.

"You two have quite a few scars. I guess most of them are from weapons, they all look quite small though?"

"Most of mine are from idiots with pistols Sam. Although this one," Hymara points to one on her upper right thigh, "was from a rifle. We can knit bone quickly in medical facilities to be as strong as it was before but I still feel it at times."

"Luckily we have not had any large gashes although I have a knife wound." Lianta turns around and points to a blue grey scar just below her left breast.

"I guess the idiot did not remember that left and right are the opposite way around when you face someone." Lianta laughs.

"No it was not intended to kill me Sam. The individuals just wanted me out of the way so puncturing the lung is a great way to do that. It was quite an effort to get to the medical centre like that."

"I bet. Your turn Hymara." Hymara hands the bottle to Lianta as Sam gets sandblasted by the two bored ones. "At least wait until we can all be covered, just be patient." The two of them nod with a smile as Sam shakes his head and helps Lianta.

"Are you a little nervous Sam?"

"What has given it away Hymara?" Sam stands back up after helping to cover her legs. He goes to sit down on the floor next to Silana and Amistathya.

"I think I speak for Lianta as well when I say we would probably prefer you to be too rough than be quite so, placid." Hymara and Lianta take a seat on the floor. Sam looks to Ami and suddenly has a plan so thinks English would be a good idea about now.

"You go for the left one; I will go for the right." Sam looks for the nod off Amistathya before turning to Silana. "Could you cover them before we jump?" Silana smiles and nods. "So you would rather I was a bit more forceful then Hymara?" She nods as she and Lianta get coated in the sand. Sam turns to Amistathya and nods before flattening Hymara against the white tiled floor, Amistathya doing likewise to Lianta. "Surprise." Sam makes sure to grab her arms before moving closer to her face. "Now what first." Sam feigns a kiss which Hymara actually seemed to fall for before he begins to lick her nose.

"That is mean."

"Sorry Hymara I was taught well although I thought you did not want to get intimately involved."

"You have me pinned to the floor, covered in lubricant and you are rather a turn on. It is rather difficult not to feel somewhat aroused and excited." Sam licks down the length of one of her folds and smiles as he sees a green tinge begin to appear several seconds later.

"I wonder if I can draw something. Silana, could you hold Hymara's arms down and of course you are free to do what you want." Silana does so and begins to lick Hymara's forehead as Sam decides a simple large tree growing from her azure would be a good start. He decides to do the top of the tree first and work down to the base of the trunk in stages.

"Sam, please just do it." Sam just stopping just short of licking her where it was obvious she wanted to be after he had drawn branches over her nipples.

"This is a good time for an incentive Hymara." Sam looks over to Amistathya who only had a large grin on her face as she held her tongue out and had Lianta move herself to be licked.

"Whatever you want Sam just..."

"So you will sleep tied up in the bath for a couple of fingers and a clean up?"

"Hymara, why are you even contemplating it?" Lianta thinking that is an awful bargain but she was also wishing she could make a bit of a bargain with Amistathya right about now.

"For one night only it is a deal." Sam quietly laughs to himself as he pushes two fingers very easily into Hymara and instead decides to add a third before beginning to slip them in and out. Sam does not have to work much more than a minute before he feels every muscle in her legs tense up, her muscles tighten around his fingers and her backside rise off the tile floor accompanied with a short pause in her previous low groan. A couple of seconds later and she relaxes with several deep breaths and a slight purple flush to her face. Sam pulls out his fingers and begins to clean her up a little while making the base of the tree. He made sure not to be mean this time as her time needed to end, otherwise they would be here until next weekend.

"Silana, I think we need to let Hymara sit up." She lets go of Hymara's arms and Sam helps her up. "It seems you can draw a picture with this stuff although the fact it feels like ploughing a glass field with your tongue is not a great bonus. I guess you enjoyed it though?"

"It will be worth every moment of a bad night. Thank you Sam."

"No problem. It seems those two are getting on well."

"If you promise never to call me Amistathya again then I will let you orgasm Lianta." Lianta seemed to be almost at breaking point of frustration with Amistathya skilfully keeping her just before the point of climax but never quite giving her enough stimulation to take her over the edge.

"You are..." Amistathya gives her azure one more lick for more incentive a devilish grin on her face. "Ok Athya." Hymara can only laugh as Amistathya just about manages to avoid Lianta's flailing but she made no doubt with her loud moan that it was pure relief finally. Ami takes her time afterwards to clean up before offering her a hand to sit up. "Remind me never to be stuck in a room alone with you Athya if I do not have a gun."

"I thought you said to me on the Citadel that you would never shorten anyone's name for any reason Lianta?"

"I would like to see you try." Hymara gestures for Amistathya play with her before lying back down on the floor.

"I hope that has answered why I do silly things now Lianta?"

"It has in the most difficult and pleasantly abusive way possible Sam."

"Do you just want to watch Hymara or would you like to help me give Silana some love?"

"I need a few minutes to recover Sam." He nods to Lianta before walking behind Silana pushing her down to the floor on her front. He collects her arms behind her but makes sure to be gentle.

"Let us see if your tribal markings are correct." Sam whispering to Silana before licking the underside of her folds. He quickly runs out of folds to lick before remembering that she said she liked her neck touching. Sam licks from her shoulders and up her neck instead. It was instantly obvious from a small shiver down her spine that he was on to something.

"Are you still feeling so confident?" Lianta smiling a little at Hymara becoming a little agitated.

"It would depend, what Amistathya wishes me to do."

"I will make you a deal if you agree to call me Athya Hymara."

"Go on."

"If you orgasm before Silana then you must agree to do what I wish for one evening. If you do not then you can be in a bed and not in the bath tonight, but still tied up." Hymara looks to her left to see Sam gently teasing Silana. She tries to think of a way out of this but decides to take her chances and takes a breath before nodding. Sam upon hearing this decides to get his own back on Amistathya. He lets go of her arms and squeezes his hands between Silana's breasts and the floor before teasing her nipples with his fingers. Sam feels her heart rate and breathing quickening and so goes for one long, slow lick up her spine. Sam feels her tense almost as if he was turning up a dimmer switch as he gets nearer her head. She tries to move away from under him but it was no use and she gave in to the inevitable, her body quivering in happiness. Sam carefully moves off her and she takes a number of quick breaths before a longer one, opening her eyes and turning to look at Sam.

"If you would just roll over Silana." She does so and even makes sure her legs are spread. "Ami, it seems Hymara has won." Hymara upon hearing that news thanks the goddess for the timing and gives in resisting with a groan and a bit of sliding around on the floor. Sam just smiles at the sight before finishing his work.

"I am impressed Hymara." Lianta helps Hymara sit up after Amistathya had moved away not at all disappointed at the outcome.

"No Lianta, Athya could easily have made me loose but she did not seem to want me to."

"I got what I wished from both of you and I also helped you Hymara."

"How do you cope with Athya Sam if she is like this?"

"I let whatever happens happen Lianta. It is the only thing I can do."

"I will just let everyone recover a little before it is your turn Sam." Amistathya having an innocent grin all over her face.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Can I ask why rituals are hard to get hold of on Illium?" Kate asking as the two of them settle into bed.

"Most of them use plants that are native to Thessia. They also tend to only like soil which contains element zero which makes them difficult to cultivate on other worlds. There are other rituals but some of the alternatives loose something and feel a bit cold."

"If you are feeling any pressure at all to offer me one Fosanta then please take your time. I would appreciate it if we were not just following the others. As I said on Saturday, I would like it to happen before we think of a child though."

"I remember that Kate, do not worry. I will try to think of a nice one that is fairly quick as I think you would appreciate that. I am just hoping that Seliha has had a similar idea and picked something legal that does not take several days."

"She probably has knowing those two but at least we will not be around to see some of it at least. We could go out on our own on Friday night together."

"I have an idea for that but I will keep it as a surprise. I hope you sleep well."

"You are not pushing me are you?"

"No Kate. It should be nice, different and just us two."

"Ok." Kate gives Fosanta a kiss as she gently strokes her folds. "I will sleep better now." Fosanta laughs a little with a smile before turning out the light.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam was the only individual who was still covered in a film of drying lubricant and sand, four Asari seemingly content just to watch and wait. "I am not sure whether to be disappointed or thankful that you have not all jumped on me yet. I am curious as to why nothing is happening though as surely you have recovered." Sam just looks across to see them all with a slight smile on their faces. "Since you seem to be between me and the shower I may as well have a bath then if no one wishes to have fun." Sam leans over and turns the tap on before looking back.

"I apologise Sam."

"Why Silana?" He was sure this was a setup but was not sure how or why.

"I feel I am upsetting you and I do not like doing that to my owner." Sam turns around to turn off the tap for the bath before being pushed in head first. Sam tried to get a grip on the side of the bath to stop himself falling but the ever reliable lubricant did its job yet again. He was just glad the water was not much more than five centimetres deep in the bottom of the bath. He manages to untangle himself before looking up to see Amistathya jump over the side of the bath to pin him in the water.

"Let me guess, it was you who pushed me." She just gives Sam a pleased smile.

"I guess we should have a shower and clean up in here." Sam hears Lianta saying through one ear as the other is full of water. Amistathya leans down to be next to his ear.

"I will have sex and meld with you Sam. The catch being that the water will be running until we are both satisfied." Sam closes his eyes and tries to get the situation he is in out of his head until he hears the water running which just brings everything back in a vivid clarity. Amistathya carefully moves herself without letting go of Sam's arms to be positioned just in front of his cock. She slides onto him in two increments, an excited pause between the two, before leaning down and looking into Sam's eyes. He knew that she hoped he would know as it was not like he could hear anything other than the tap running, his heartbeat and for the moment, breathing. Her eyes turn black and Sam feels her tremendous arousal at the situation which only adds to the list of things that are making him so horny he thought he may pop. Ami begins to slide on his cock and the pleasure from not only himself but from Ami makes his mind unable to think of anything other than floating in a sea of pleasure. Ami seemed to try and continue making only a handful more thrusts before the sea of pleasure enveloped them both warming glow. The fact the water was now over Sam's nose meant nothing. Ami managed one more thrust before their muscles joined with their minds in being practically useless. The virtual world in which they were in suddenly became clouded with panic. Ami breaks off the connection and pulls Sam out of the water to a deep breath and a couple of coughs.

"Goddess, are you ok Sam?" Hymara clearly panicked by the situation.

"I, I am fine." Sam sounding a little choked and out of breath, another cough and several more deep breaths soon solves that.

"What were you two doing? I just thought you were having sex before having a bath."

"Sorry, I cannot think at all Hymara." Sam closes his eyes to try and work out what is happening and where he is but everything just feels like a blur. "The best I can offer, is to tell you tomorrow." Hymara seemed torn between what she had just seen and how much she trusts Amistathya not to hurt Sam.

"Just promise me that you will not do anything other than wash yourselves and then go to bed this evening." Sam nods as Amistathya shuffles away from him, pulling his cock from her pussy. "We will see you both in the morning then as we have cleaned the floor."

"We will not make any more mess." Hymara nods and she along with Lianta leave. "Would you like to have a bath with us Silana?" She thinks no to begin with but then remembers that Sam may still be disappointed so it would be a good opportunity.

"I will Athya." She gets in behind Sam before licking his neck. Sam laughs given he was too happy to have a go at her. "What would you like me to do Sam as I would quite like to make up for earlier."

"If you would use the washcloth on the side to make sure I am clean I would appreciate it." Silana leans past Sam to his right to pick up the green washcloth. "I feel exhausted. That was..."

"Difficult?"

"Words would never even begin to scratch the surface Silana."

"I guess you melded then?"

"We cannot really admit to that."

"I understand that Athya. You were not too bad at being fairly clean already Sam."

"I appreciate the help. Are you ready to get out?" Amistathya nods and the three of them get out and dry themselves. Silana quickly puts her underwear on as Sam and Amistathya scoop up their clothes off the worktop. "Silana, could you tie Hymara's arms folded behind her and tie her ankles to her arms?"

"I think I can manage that."

"Thank you." Silana nods and goes downstairs as Sam and Amistathya head to bed, Amistathya locking the bedroom door after she has entered. "The fact I felt none of your past was just... I don't know. It makes no sense."

"The mind concentrates on the strongest thoughts and feelings and ignores the weak ones." She just hoped Sam did not put two and two together or if he did that he would understand.

"I think Hymara was thinking you were trying to kill me." She says nothing but just climbs into bed. "I must ask but were you?"

"I know now that you trust me with your life Sam. That and I struggle to think of a time I have ever been so aroused before."

"The latter sounds more like it. I am going to need an explanation for Hymara tomorrow and I have none. The two of them already have little doubts over you Ami and I am fairly sure this is only going to cause more." Sam hears a knock on the door.

"Could you get it Sam?" He nods and gets out of bed. He opens the door to find Silana standing there.

"I deeply apologise if I interrupted anything but Hymara asked me to at least ask if I could keep an eye on you tonight. She did not seem to grasp that I cannot make demands and she cannot tell me what to do without your permission. I am only asking because I think it would calm some nervousness."

"At least come in for a moment while I decide." She nods and does so to see Amistathya sat up in bed with the duvet around her.

"I think they are both worried that you are dangerous for Sam Athya. I am not sure quite what to think as I do not know what happened."

"Have a seat on the bed Silana." Sam jumps in and shuffles up next to Amistathya as Silana takes a seat at the foot of the bed. "Would you like to explain Ami?"

"Silana, can you promise not to tell anyone else?" She nods. "My dark streak as you call it Sam is secretly very desirable for me. While I would be content with normal things the fact you seemed open to me messing with your mind and the fact you accepted a dangerous ritual made me realise you may be accepting of my other desires as well. I will never cause you at least lasting pain and I could never actually kill you Sam as that would feel like killing myself."

"That explains the why you do what you do, but not why you thought trying to drown me in the bath was a good idea."

"The fact you were in a cramped space would have made getting out from underneath me difficult. I therefore had a pleasing upper hand but it needed something to make it that bit more special. I then remembered what Sha'ira had said and wondered if I could do something similar as it was certainly an intriguing and arousing idea."

"Why did you do it to Sam though?"

"I thought the experience would be a little extreme but not unpleasant for him as he trusts me. I deeply apologise for the second or so between you being desperate for air and me pulling you out Sam. I can only guess it felt longer than that and it was rather uncomfortable."

"The less said about that bit the better."

"So you do not feel upset or angry at Athya at all Sam?"

"I am well aware that I should Silana but I don't. I am not sure if it is something Ami has done to my mind or just through her constantly driving me insane that I am starting to accept it as normal."

"I have not changed anything more since we broke the contract Sam as I have had no need to do so."

"That at least is good news. I still need to work out what to say to the other two tomorrow as I think they are a little scared of Ami now."

"Lianta seemed happy but a little unnerved. Hymara seems the most worried at how you seem to be able to manipulate others to your whim." Amistathya puts her arms around Sam and snuggles up to him.

"Can I ask why you seem a little unhappy?"

"You know I dislike making anyone unhappy Sam. It sounds as if Hymara thinks I am evil and I only think of myself. The fact she could even be thinking that hurts me."

"I think we best get to sleep as this just seems to be making us all unhappy after a good evening. Silana, if you feel it is best then you may for tonight sleep behind me. All I ask is no excessive touching." Sam shuffles over to be on Amistathya's side and Silana gets in behind Sam. Amistathya wraps herself around Sam before giving him a short kiss and putting her head down on the pillow. "I guess you are comfortable wrapped around me?"

"It makes me feel happier." Sam laughs a little.

"I hope you sleep well Silana."

"Same to you both."

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**There is a little I need to say other than I hope individuals remember back the previous chapters otherwise some of this could be a little confusing. I will post the next chapter on the 26th of December for all those individuals who need some relief from over-eating. I wish everyone a pleasant holiday period.**


	53. Chapter 53 : Material Surprise

**Chapter 53 - Material Surprise**

* * *

><p><strong>Wednesday 22nd February 2017<strong>

Sam wakes to a knock on the door. "Let me guess it is Lianta." Sam looks over his shoulder to see Silana had also been awoken with the noise. "Could you open the door Silana as it is not exactly easy for me to get up?"

"I can see that." Sam laughs as Silana opens the door. "Morning Lianta."

"I see you spent the night with them as we asked."

"Lianta, come in for a minute." Sam shouting from the bed. Lianta does so which gives Sam a nice upper hand as it is his ground. "I need to say that while you can ask Silana to do things for you, if they are related to keeping an eye on Ami and myself it will not work. You of all people should know that if I tell her not to tell anyone something you will not find out."

"We have had little doubts since the Citadel but over the last few weeks it has become obvious to us that you could be a dangerous individual to have around Athya."

"She is on a dangerous list so that bit explains itself Lianta. Also if you think you cannot protect me from everyone else while you are distracted by Ami then it could be a good idea for you to leave. Ami protected me from Pheinova as well as being very caring and considerate towards me, so separating us is not going to happen."

"Did you tell Sam to say that Athya?"

"I only said why I did what I did."

"Which was?"

"She just wanted you to be a little friendlier by calling her Athya. I do not think that is too much to ask since we live together. As to us enjoying each other in the bath, I know I should be at least a little unnerved but I feel nothing negative. It was a rather remarkable experience with a bit of an unpleasant end which Ami has already apologised for. She really dislikes making people unhappy and was rather saddened to hear that yourself and Hymara last night may have been contemplating the possibility of her only thinking about herself."

"If you dislike making people unhappy then why did you wish me to call you Athya?"

"You got an orgasm out of it Lianta."

"Also Ami is one of only a small number of marked Asari, she willingly trusted you to show her markings to you and even though she has a bit of a fear about unknown Asari and she trusted you again last night by being naked in the same room. A little trust and appreciation in return would likely be happily accepted by her Lianta." Lianta looks a little pained.

"I apologise for my misjudgement Athya but it was a rather startling display last night which unnerved us."

"I will not do so again." Lianta nods.

"Would you either let me untie Hymara now or would you like to do so Sam?"

"You can, if you would say to her what I mentioned it would be appreciated. Also I would like a word over breakfast." She nods before leaving. "Ami, I do not care if Lianta was the Asari councillor. You do not just give up on what you want because someone is a little unnerved by it."

"Are you unnerved by me being as I was last night Silana?"

"At the time it was unexpected, not normal and a bit confusing. After what you have both said, both last night and this morning, I think that I can trust you Athya as much as I do Sam."

"Would you be happier Sam if I just continued when it is just us three?"

"The slight excitement in your tone gives you the answer Ami. It will make you happier which in turn makes me happier and the only downside is the fact you are really a seductively insidious nymph." Silana gets a confused smile on her face at that description. Amistathya seems to go a little shy as her face turns a wonderful lilac colour before she tries to hide it by hugging Sam.

"I am not sure my translation is quite right Sam but if it is then it is both a remarkable compliment and a truthful observation. I would be greatly honoured if someone ever gave me a compliment like that."

"What is it you think I said Silana?"

"That Athya is a beautiful maiden of the goddess who seduces individuals in a calm and subtle but yet potentially harmful manner."

"Insidious strictly has to include harmful effects but your translation is accurate enough to what I was attempting to say. I think we should think about getting breakfast and going to work."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Are we going to have any time this weekend to discuss plans for the event?" Kate being a little mindful that time was becoming short.

"Would Sunday be ok Kate as I do not quite what is to happen on Friday with Sam and Athya? I think Seliha's intention was to have some fun so it could be a little tiring."

"I was just worried that we need to have this all planned before we go to Thessia and the next weekend will be bioamp testing again."

"I will sort through contacts for acts and see if we can arrange anything on Friday evening. I need the time to work through my junk mail folder to pick them all out."

"I just delete all my junk mail. It ends up in that folder for a reason."

"It is a good job we are not relying on you then for performers Seliha." Adastra laughs.

"I need to be going unfortunately Fosanta as Samalya and Thea have planned to meet me this morning to discuss options for the thruster design."

"Actually I could really do with leaving as well as I have an early appointment." Kate looks to Fosanta who nods. The four of them clean up their breakfast items before heading to work."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"You look a little stiff this morning Hymara."

"Quite why Silana had to tie my legs to my arms I do not know but it was not that comfortable."

"Silana did as I asked her to do Hymara. I also believe I need to remind you that although Silana has freedom it does not extend as far as you practically demanding her to sleep with us. Both Silana and I seem to have a good understanding of where the line is and she only informed me of your request because it may help settle the nervousness."

"So it was not because I asked?"

"No Hymara. I cannot take orders from anyone else without Sam's permission. I could however express your anxiety and make a suggestion that me joining them would settle some of that. I cannot guarantee anything that I say is a full account of everything that happened but I will be truthful."

"So nothing else happened?"

"No and I was not expecting anything after talking to them both Hymara."

"Let me settle this faster as you two do not have long to have breakfast. I have given Lianta this same offer. While Ami has agreed not to do that again in front of you two it is likely to do so again in private. If that causes either of you two to distrust Ami enough to affect your protection of me then you should consider leaving. Ami has said she will not hurt me and I trust her. It is just if you two can do the same."

"So you did actually try and drown Sam Athya?"

"Yes but I knew I would be able to feel when he was becoming desperate. I knew he would trust me enough to be comfortable with such a situation."

"Were you Sam?"

"Would you like honesty or some truths arranged in a way that makes everything sound better?"

"We would really like you to be honest Sam."

"Ok Hymara. Yes I was mostly comfortable but only really through being so overwhelmed I had no idea what was happening. I am becoming convinced that Ami has been gradually conditioning me over the last few weeks as I know I should be a little scared of her trying to drown me for fun. I made a passing comment to that effect last night and the only response I got was that Ami has not manipulated me since Saturday as there has been no need. Quite how she defines manipulation I do not know."

"I will talk to you in private later Sam but we must be leaving." Amistathya jumps off Sam's knee and goes to get changed with Silana.

"You are happy to leave that kind of important information until later Sam?"

"I have work to get to and I doubt Ami will trust you two enough to tell you after you questioning her actions. If you can find a way to convince her that you trust her then she will be much happier to include you."

"How do you think we would do so Sam?" Hymara looks to Lianta with a bit of surprise. "Athya has never shown any real malice Hymara and if we give up now then last night would have been a waste."

"I think the best thing you two can do if you do not want to end up like me is just be supportive of her choices. She had her self confidence knocked when she agreed not to do that kind of thing again with you around. I have only ever seen her upset at her past before but she looked really quite unhappy at having to make that choice and the fact that she had caused you to question her."

"Her choices are difficult for us to support if they involve drowning you Sam."

"Hymara, she always has my interests in mind in the same way as I do with her or Silana. She just lacks self confidence to do what she feels is right not what everyone else thinks is right. She after getting her tribal markings seemed to express a strong desire to have them added permanently as she likes how the black balances out her sky blue markings. I think she was worried about how anyone else would accept that decision though."

"You know what the common thoughts are on tattoos Sam. I mean even Pheinova showed you that."

"I know Hymara; they are the same as for markings on the body which Ami already has. I thought it would make no real difference to her since that was the case so I essentially said it was her decision as long as the tattoos had soft edges like her natural markings."

"We will think about that Sam." He nods before going to stand at the bottom of the stairs. They do not have to wait too long before Amistathya and Silana walk down the stairs and the five of them head to Sentix.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Good morning Fosanta."

"You seem happy this morning Pheinova. Where is Whesiva?"

"She has not arrived yet but I have two test subjects after I had visited them yesterday evening. I doubt that Armali will like Amistathya as a test subject much but she was easy to find."

"I guess you saw her markings when you visited?"

"I would have preferred her to be less blatant in showing them off to be honest Fosanta."

"I never thought she would show others her makings after living with Adastra. When we came back from bioamp testing to see her in a nearly transparent dress we were all remarkably surprised. I think Sam suggested that she did not cover her markings inside their apartment though."

"It would not surprise me Fosanta as it seemed like I was the only one who had an issue with her doing so. It was very strange for me to sit there."

"Amistathya is a pleasant individual Pheinova no matter what she looks like." Whesiva walks in through the door. "Morning Whesiva. To fill you in we have our two test individuals."

"That is good. I guess Ebaea is one?"

"Yes and Amistathya is the other."

"Do you mind if we talk while testing Pheinova as Athya is not the most talkative of individuals?"

"No but I am curious as to why you would want to. Usarta seemed confident her markings were natural."

"I was just curious as to what living with them is like. I know having Asari parents gets me mocked a lot but I have no idea how natural markings would be taken."

"It seems you should ask Pheinova as I do not think she was particularly keen."

"I admit that I think the others thought there was something wrong with me when I expressed my disagreement. They are not normal and she would look fairly attractive otherwise."

"I would be very careful about saying that to Seliha Pheinova as she may do more than talk to you. Adastra has said she also has natural makings in case you did not know."

"I had my suspicions from her decorating her testing bioamps. I have not seen them though so I am not that bothered."

"What do we have to do today Pheinova?"

"There is still some minor work to be done on the power amplifier section. It uses an old method which is considered suboptimal."

"Do we just take the block from an existing design and add it in?"

"While the preliminary designs from the Nebula bioamp design look promising this bioamp is going to be doing something which the nebula one would never have to do. It is therefore just a case of refining this design unfortunately Whesiva. I hope you remember your university course on power amplification for bioamps."

"That was not my favourite course."

"I am not sure how much help I could be but if they are fairly similar to radio frequency power amplifiers I may be able to help."

"I do not think there are any substantial changes in the basic principles Fosanta. The biggest change is how the body dampens the transients but the simulator would give you an idea how it would likely react." Fosanta has a look at that section as it is less boring than trying to work out how to add the sensors in.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"If I have to terminate any more fibre this week I think I will go mad."

"It was not that bad was it Sam?" Silana knowing that Amistathya and herself had the easier end.

"I admit the conversation with the orange collared individuals was good but terminating it, lying on your back in a cramped space is not all that fun. I guess we are done now though."

"We just need to test everything which should take about an hour."

"Maybe we can go to manufacturing and see the transport."

"That sounds like a good idea Ami. We could maybe pick up a few things from Silana's old room on the way back as well."

"I like that plan and I am sure Olissa would be happy to have it vacated quickly as well." Sam nods and the five of them get their meals from the usual friendly individual before sitting down at a table.

"I still dislike that I am seen as some kind of important individual given the separate tables. Do either of you two have any complaints if we see about finding a table in the normal's section tomorrow?" Sam looks towards Hymara and Lianta who had been a little quiet all morning.

"If you can find a table near the edge of the hall then I can see no reason why not." Sam nods to Lianta before beginning to eat his food. He was only two mouthfuls in when his Omni-tool beeps.

"I wonder who it is this time." Sam stated in a resigned tone as he puts his fork down to read it.

_Sam,_

_One of our design engineers has picked up a flaw in our system so you have not received your file to design your transport. To expedite this process for you and the department they would like you to go to design room seven where you will find a design desk. If you could make your design and send it on to the address specified then everyone would be thankful._

_Olissa_

"Is the testing of the thrusters important to do now Silana or can it wait a while? I am asking as Olissa is asking us to go to design room seven to design the transport as there has been a flaw in the system for some reason."

"It can wait Sam as I would guess that given we were given until the end of the day that the ships controls will be tested tomorrow."

"Good."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I guess everyone has had a tiring morning." Adastra sliding her tray onto the table before sitting down and shuffling up to Seliha.

"I have."

"I am fairly similar to Seliha actually in that it has been a bit boring. I am also getting questions today where I have to try and rely on my university degree which is rather difficult as that was centuries ago."

"I can just rely on Thea for that Fosanta otherwise I would probably be in the same position. What about your morning Kate?"

"I seem to be getting a bit of a reputation for being pleasant but a little harsh or so I have been informed. Usarta said that is all she expects from me and she would rather that the individuals got to know the system as the person visiting does not know who they are to get until they arrive. Having to explain to someone that they cannot have another interviewer without going through Thessia is always a little difficult though."

"I am sure Armali appreciate your efforts and that you are doing a good job Kate. There will always be one or two which make an odd day stressful."

"I should be used to it by now Fosanta but it is taking time to become confident when myself and Sam are a new species to most individuals."

"You will get used to it. How was your day?" Seliha looking to Adastra as she finishes off her lunch.

"Actually I have had a good morning. The new design looks good even if it has grown quite a bit in scale. I cannot see it being longer than a couple of weeks or so before the design is finalised."

"I guess that is why you are late then as I am have to go back to work."

"It is Seliha but it was worth spending the extra ten minutes finishing off. I hope you have a good afternoon."

"You too."

"I guess you two will be leaving soon as well?"

"Not really Adastra as I just have forms to fill this afternoon."

"Unfortunately I do Adastra. I will speak to you both later." Kate gets a short hug before Fosanta leaves.

"I guess you have not asked Fosanta yet then?" Kate seems confused before remembering.

"Oh no. I was thinking I could make a case to Fosanta for us to consider a daughter to have two mothers as it would make me less confused."

"I can see that getting confusing when the daughter wishes to speak to one of you. It does sound like a workable solution though. We just accept that one of us will be the father but I guess we have no real gender ties to that designation."

"I will probably think about it once we actually know one is on the way as it is silly to be having this discussion now, as it would be to start thinking of names for them."

"I want a daughter named Yaira. I think every Asari has thought about what they would call a child by their two hundredth birthday. Do you have any ideas at all Kate?"

"I like names which sound nice but are fairly familiar if you understand what I mean. I quite like Helena as a name but I am not sure if Fosanta has any preferences or if she would like that."

"You have plenty of time to decide that as you said earlier once they arrive. Helena sounds a nice but a little odd to me, I am not quite sure why. I am sure Fosanta would be able to talk through all the options with you."

"What do you mean by odd?"

"I would perhaps change it slightly to Helayna as it is easier to write and pronounce in Asari. I would really like to continue this discussion but I must get back to work. I apologise for that Kate." She looks at her Omni-tool.

"I should be getting something done as well." The two of them vacate the table and go back to work.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Design room seven." Sam mumbling to himself as he checks each door they walk past.

"I think you have told us often enough."

"I think it is design room seven we need to go to Hymara." Sam's sarcastic tone getting a bit of a laugh, even out of Hymara. "Oh." Sam stops the others before opening the door, an Asari waiting for them on a chair behind the desk. "I did not know we had someone waiting to help us with the design?"

"I will explain what is happening if you close the door." Hymara does so before turning back. "I can only tell you what I have left if..." She looks down at her Omni-tool. "Hymara and Lianta stay. I apologise for not knowing your names that well."

"I did not think the design department had any non-servant employees."

"You must be Silana. I am not a designer and was not very artistic at school either so whatever you are meant to be designing I doubt you would want my help."

"So what is your current job then?"

"I am a marketing manager Sam."

"Hymara and Lianta, would you be willing to wait outside for a few moments as this is going nowhere? I promise to tell you more after."

"Only if we can keep the door unlocked but closed." Sam looks to the unknown Asari who nods.

"That is fine." Hymara and Lianta leave and the door closes behind them. "Would you be willing to say more now as this is making little sense?"

"Is Sam your owner Silana?" She nods. "Good. I am Asanya and I am only to be here for a short period of time. You may ask me questions but unfortunately I am under strict instruction not to answer the obvious ones."

"Some time to have prepared questions would have been nice." Sam tries to think of a question which would explain everything.

"In that case you can meet me again on Saturday the eleventh whenever it is convenient for you and you know already know where."

"Oh. I apologise Asanya."

"I know that I am deliberately not explaining myself well Sam and for that I do apologise. I have however heard you have not long had to move house. I assume that it was a little difficult for you to move away from the others."

"It was but with me accepting control of Silana it was becoming inconvenient to stay. I also had plans to end my contract with Ami which has turned out to be a surprising experience."

"I heard from the media that you gave a ritual to Sam Athya."

"I received one from someone and I still cannot work out who would know both of us well enough. Sam took it much better than I expected he would and Silana was very supportive."

"You sound like you are getting on well together."

"Well Ami seems to really like me and she makes me feel all soft inside so I think you could say that."

"That was a bit more than I wished to know Sam but I am glad you have both found someone you appreciate. I have left a small box by the door for you to take when you leave. Do any of you have any questions before I must leave?"

"I apologise for asking Asanya but why did you decide to meet us here?"

"My transports thruster is getting warn so I was wondering when it would need a repair or a replacement fitting. Sentix said they would look at it for me."

"Ion drive then?"

"It is Sam and it needs looking after as it is rather old now."

"I understand. I am sure we will have a talk to you again on the eleventh if you wish to leave."

"I wish you all well and I look forward to meeting you all again." The three of them nod and Asanya walks out of the door to Hymara and Linata's confusion who come into the room.

"What happened Sam?"

"She wanted sex but I felt it was best if I declined." Sam had to laugh at Lianta's exasperated look. "I apologise but you were asking for that response. I will explain when we get back but you can at least come in and help us with the design if you wish."

"I think we will so that Athya does not decide to write something inappropriate on the side."

"You are getting as paranoid as I am Hymara." Sam sits down at the desk which had a large holographic surface to work on. He turns the screen on to find the model of the ship already loaded with details already filled out about designations and who the design will be sent to when he sends it. "I see someone has tried to make it easy for us. Does anyone have any ideas?"

"I know it is typical to keep the design simple but one ship tends to look similar to another. I am sure you could come up with something that is a bit more unique between you." Silana thinking there are not that many ships with a slightly more complex hull decoration. Sam flicks through the various filters in the model before stopping on the atmospheric thermal profile.

"That is rather weird. The fact there seems to be almost a ripple effect down the hull is strange as I would have expected it to just heat up on leading edges not down the entire hull in waves."

"It is a bit bright though, although it is intriguing." Sam changes the filter into black and white and makes the base colour of the ship black. "You did say unique Silana."

"I did but it seems a bit too..." She moves around to the other side of Sam to get a better view. "It looks like the designers have applied the wrong layer to the hull."

"Do you think it needs something else Ami?"

"I do but I am not quite sure what."

"What do you two think?" Hymara and Lianta looked at the design from the other side of the table. Sam rotated the display for their benefit.

"It is different. I do agree with Silana in that it feels a little hollow somehow."

"I have a suggestion but I am not sure you could do it Sam."

"I am interested as I quite like it as it is but something else may make it that bit better Hymara."

"Can you make all the grey into dots of white of varying size?" Sam looks confused for a moment.

"You mean use larger dots where it is whiter and use less small bots for where it is nearer to black?" Hymara nods. "I understand what you mean now; it is just that I may not be able to do it." Sam spins the display around before looking in the filters section of the menu. "Great this is just for filtering simulation data."

"If you move this design into the hull design layer it may give you some more options." Sam opens the layers in a panel on the left and drags the design onto the hull design layer. "See what you can do now Sam." Sam opens up the filters menu to be greeted with a large number of effects and colour filters. The colour filters are not helpful but the effects were what he was after.

"Well there is enough choice in here. Also in case none of you realised I have no idea what I am doing. Luckily it is fairly intuitive." Sam hears a few laughs as he looks down the list. "Oooh. I have got to try this one at least." Sam selected the cubic option which opens up a new panel where the layers one was previously on the left hand side of the screen.

"I am not sure about that." Silana was obviously not keen on the paving slab sized pixels. Sam increases the range between the largest and the smallest and makes the largest possible no bigger than a beer mat. "I am still not convinced." Sam zooms out so Silana can see the full ship. "Ok that works quite a bit better than I thought it would. Can you show me what it would look like when docked from say ten metres away?"

"Errm. I have no idea where anything is. I can try and guess the distance." Sam looks to Silana who nods and with him knowing the wing is eight metres in length he adds a little more on to get to the ten. "I think that is about ten but I would guess a dock for this size of ship would mean the hull would be about fifteen metres away from the dockside."

"I was thinking if it looks ok that close then you would be ok Sam. I can see the squares but also see what it is trying to represent at that distance. I quite like it but then again it is not my decision."

"What do you think Ami?"

"Can I request that the ships name is written in sky blue?"

"I was after your opinion on the actual hull design really."

"I like it. Can you put the name on in sky blue?" Sam had to laugh at her enthusiasm as if it was her birthday and she was being given a present. Sam looks through the ships specifications to find it has the designation SSPL-Rapture only with no number.

"I am glad it is not called SSPL-372048 or whatever it was. That would have been a pain to remember for space port communications."

"372032 Sam. You would get used to it eventually."

"I apologise for not having a great memory Silana. I did at least get the first bit right which was more than I expected." Sam adding in Rapture with the 'R' starting just to the right of the hull door. "I think that will still be visible even with the walkway attached. What do you think now Ami?"

"It is not quite the same colour as my markings but I will not complain as it looks good."

"I know it is more a slate grey but I thought too much colour would ruin the aesthetics of the design. What do you two think?" Sam puts the Sentix Spaceworks branding on the tail of the ship and an Armali Council Illium logo on the rear just above where the wings join the hull.

"I thought the colour of the name would stand out but it is not too bad and it is still easily legible. Does the branding have to be in colour?"

"I am sure I could make the Sentix one black and white as it only has a tiny amount of green. I could make Armali's the same colour as the ship text as it is not that much different."

"Or just a slightly more subtle green." Sam changes it to be slightly less bright. "That is better. It actually looks unique."

"That was what I was after Lianta but nothing that shouted look at me as I am really not that kind of individual."

"I would be interested in actually viewing it on an actual hull."

"I take that as an approval them Hymara." She nods. "Are you two happy?"

"I am but as I said it is between you and Athya really." Sam looks to Amistathya who smiles and nods. Sam sends off the design to the pre-filled out recipient before turning off the display. "Do not forget your box." Amistathya jogs around the desk to pick it up.

"Has someone been feeding you something to make you excessively energetic this afternoon Ami?"

"No I just feel good today." Sam shakes his head as the five of them head back to hanger three to finish the thruster install.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Usarta walks through the doors into Adastra's development room which catches Adastra's attention. "I was just about to finish off for the day Usarta."

"Unfortunately it seems I have some cleaning up and repairs to organise before I leave Adastra. Would you kindly finish off where you can and come with me?"

"I can but can I ask why?" Adastra notes where she is up to on the design file before saving it and locking the console.

"Seliha seems upset for some reason Adastra and we do not know why." Adastra joins Usarta and the two of them walk to the lift. "She has done some damage to a wall of her room. Lucky her room is one with a wall out into a corridor."

"Was anyone hurt?" The surprise of what Seliha has done evident in her expression as the slow lift continues.

"Fortunately not Adastra. Could I ask if you know what may have caused this as others I have spoken to have seen no signs of her being unhappy?"

"She was unhappy at lunch time for some reason but I do not know for sure what caused her to be unhappy. I guess that you know Seliha has duality syndrome?"

"We did not Adastra. We have no records from before she joined us as an indentured servant. Usually there is something but some servants are born into servitude and are treated well enough by their owners to avoid hospital visits. These individuals generally end up with no medical records and even lack birth records."

"If an individual lacks a birth record are servitude contracts valid in that case?"

"They are as a lack of a birth record means an individual is defined by physical attributes and not a name. Seliha is easily unique enough in that regard for legal purposes."

"So an individuals markings define them?"

"Markings, iris and retina, any distinct colour variances or scarring on the skin and DNA can all be used to define an individual. Not one single item of these is enough to be legally binding for a servitude contract however as they can all be faked to some extent." The two of them exit the lift and begin to make their way towards the skybridge and the biotics building both of which are visible out of the glass wall of the corridor.

"Has no one wished to talk to Seliha if she is unhappy?"

"She threatened one of the individuals who attempted to do so. I thought at that point you may be able to help since you have previously said that you two are together."

"I would perhaps have called Sam in at this point as I know he tends to be a good individual in these kinds of situations. I think he is busy working on his passenger transport today though." The two of them enter the biotics building and turn right down a corridor.

"All we really need is her taking home Adastra so that we can clean up and make temporary repairs. I would also like you to take her to a mental health specialist soon, perhaps tomorrow if you can get an appointment. Armali would be interested to know more about her duality syndrome before any more damage is done to any more walls."

"I can understand that. Is Seliha to stay off work for a while?"

"I am not sure as I am weary of speaking to her myself Adastra. I will allow a day off for her appointment which I hope is tomorrow or Friday. I will wait outside for you to have a talk if you can."

"I think the debris gives away her room." Adastra noting the crumpled desk along with chunks of the wall strewn around the corridor. Usarta nods and Adastra makes her way to the door of her room which she opens. Seliha is sat on a chair facing away from the door and the hole in the wall, her head in her hands. "Are you ok Seliha?" Adastra can see a number of small items within easy reach for her as she shakes her head. She tentatively moves towards her. "Would you like to come home with me and have a quiet evening?" Seliha takes her head out of her hands and stands from the chair. Her face was a little damp but her expression was not of unhappiness but fairly neutral.

"I will."

"Usarta does not seem too unhappy about what has happened Seliha so do not worry about what has happened." Adastra puts her arm around Seliha as the two of them walk out of the room and back towards Usarta.

"How are you Seliha?"

"I think Seliha is not really wishing to speak to people Usarta. I will have a talk once we get back to the house and I will give you a message to keep you informed."

"I appreciate that Adastra." Adastra nods and Usarta begins to walk back across the skybridge as Adastra and Seliha make their way to the lift.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra and Seliha sit down in the kitchen back at home. "You feel a little nervous or scared Seliha. Are you a little unsure about how everyone will react to what has happened?"

"How did I get back home?"

"I collected you from the room that you had thrown a desk through the wall of and brought you back in my shuttle as I usually do."

"I did not hurt anyone this afternoon did I?"

"Usarta said that you had not done so but whether there was someone in the room with you at the time I do not know."

"I hope you do not mind if I have a drink and then go to sit somewhere quiet. Please try not to disturb me and I will find everyone when I feel I can."

"Anything that will make you happier Seliha as you look scared, tired and confused."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra gets awoken from her pondering when her Omni-tool beeps.

_Adastra,_

_Seliha has an appointment to see Doctor Lamisa at ten tomorrow morning, the twenty third of February. Please arrive at the Nos Astra mental health clinic and speak to the receptionist upon your arrival. If you cannot make this time then please send a message back as soon as possible._

_Elamia, Nos Astra mental health clinic receptionist_

Adastra makes a mental note of the time as she hears the front door close. Kate soon comes into the kitchen. "Hello Kate. Have you had a good day?"

"It has been fairly usual to be honest Adastra. Where is Seliha though as she is usually with you?"

"She has not had the best of days Kate. By that I mean I think she gets overly tired being nice to us and then having to be friendly at work. Usarta had turned up this afternoon saying she had thrown a desk straight through a wall in the biotics building. I doubted it at first but when I went to look for myself before bringing Seliha back there was indeed a large hole in the wall. Usarta has said we should go to meet a mental health specialist so I have an appointment to see a Doctor Lamisa in the morning."

"Well that is not quite what I was expecting to hear when she was not around, especially since you do not seem too depressed about it."

"I was waiting for something like this to actually happen Kate so it is not really a shock. She was less friendly than usual at lunch time and that was one reason why I got talking to you as it made me feel a little happier. What scared me a little more was the fact she did not seem to remember even coming back home."

"I can see why you have made that appointment then Adastra."

"Usarta asked me to make it really but it is a good idea as it may get me some answers." Kate nods as Fosanta walks in to help out with the food preparation.

"Is Seliha doing something important Adastra?"

"She has just said to give her a bit of space until she finds us Fosanta. I believe she went into our top room to keep out of the way."

"Should I ask why she needs the time?"

"She threw a desk through a wall this afternoon. I have an appointment for her tomorrow but I have not told her yet about it. It was fortunate however that Usarta came to me close to the end of the day as I have been busy. She does need the advice from a professional as Armali are hardly going to keep her employed if she starts demolishing the buildings."

"I would have thought you would have had a bit of experience with mental health professionals Adastra."

"I have unfortunately Fosanta but I am lost as to how to help her. I am not entirely sure what problems duality causes Seliha as she has never really discussed her past and she only shows her feelings but rarely expresses them verbally."

"I can see why you are going then Adastra as I guess it would be nice to know." Adastra nods to Fosanta.

"Does Seliha want anything to eat do you know?"

"I do Kate." Seliha carefully walks in to the kitchen and takes a seat next to Adastra who puts her arm around her. "Please be careful not to provoke me this evening as I am not myself. I apologise for being quite so blunt with my request but I am not having a good day."

"We will both try to stay out of your way if you feel that would be best Seliha." She nods. Fosanta seemed a little nervous about what may happen but decided to just have something to eat and then do something out of the way until bed time.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Are you going to hang onto that box like it is your daughter all evening or are you going to open it Ami?"

"In our room Sam."

"No Ami. I am sick of this lingering doubt that is in this apartment and if it lasts longer than a day then I think it will become uncomfortable. Hymara and Lianta, I said I would say more about what happened this afternoon. I need to make it clear not to say anything to anyone else about what happened."

"We can do that Sam." Hymara nods.

"Ok. I think that Asanya is in some way close to Ami's mother's new bondmate. Yes this does not sound like it is making sense to me either Hymara. Ami's father died while she was young and Ami's mother got a new bondmate before she died. It is that individual who we think gave us the ritual and wishes to speak to us."

"So it was not Asanya who was your mother's bondmate Athya?"

"No, she is quite distinctive as her skin is quite light so it definitely is not Asanya. I managed to get a meeting for us to see her on the Saturday we travel to Thessia. I have also been invited to something for my birthday it sounds like."

"Would you be willing to share what is in the box?" Amistathya looks down at the box seemingly a little unsure. "I am sure that although Hymara and Lianta were not too pleased last night that it was mostly unexpected shock Ami. At least give them the benefit of the doubt." She gives a nod before looking back at the box and then holding it out to Silana.

"I would like you to open it." Silana looks to Sam.

"It is your choice Silana as I highly doubt Asanya would have put anything bad inside." She takes it from Amistathya carefully and places it on the table before opening it up. She peers in to see two datapads. She takes the topmost datapad out and hands it to Amistathya who carefully takes and reads it.

_Athya and Sam,_

_I feel a little upset that I have to resort to datapads to communicate instead of meeting you all personally. Certain situations however lead me to this solution however unsatisfying it is for us all. I will not explain what has happened and why I am hiding behind a datapad but I will say more when we eventually meet which I hope is on the Saturday._

_I get the feeling from various media sources that Athya seems rather taken by Sam. I was very anxious to begin with when I heard Athya had agreed a servitude contract but when I heard Sam got on well with marked individuals I trusted Athya's decision. _

_I had a rather heated talk to my friend at Atansys about not informing me of your incident (what she described as your idiocy) several weeks ago. Atansys has some dubious dealings which she would rather the media did not know about. To stop that of happening she agreed to have Athya's belongings delivered to your apartment as well as agreeing to ship onwards a couple of items from myself. I hope Athya appreciated the items but it is quite difficult for me to know what she may or may not appreciate after her latest incident._

_I hope everyone stays well until we have a chance to meet which I am looking forward to as it will allow me to finally get some peace. I am really proud of Athya with how she seems to take life's happenings in her stride no matter how difficult they are._

"I am not sure what to think." She hands the datapad to Sam who quickly reads through it.

"Well we know Asanya is related to her now. I will ignore the comment about the un-empathetic individual at Atansys and you should as well Ami." Sam shuffles her off her seat onto his knee. "Is there anything else in the box Silana? You two can read the datapad if you wish."

"There is another datapad." She takes it out and hands it to Amistathya who holds it so that Sam can read it at the same time.

_Athya and Sam,_

_I broke these messages into two parts as they both relate to different items. I assume that neither of you know that you should inform the Asari republics of your intention to be partners. The republics ideally like individuals who are considered close to the partnered couple to verify that they are together and usually a matriarch as well. Since I am the closest individual to Athya (I know I have not seen you in years but I was bondmates with your mother) I filled in my agreement to this after I had the chance to speak to Iona at Galactic Acceptance. She is still bemused as to how you two could get on so well so quickly. She has also asked me to mention that she would be most grateful if you could see her and Saymera again at some time in the near future._

_Sam, your section of the form caused me a large headache as it requires that you are classed as a non-Asari and yet you are designated as an Asari sub-species. I had a talk to a friendly Matriarch who has agreed to sign it incomplete given the seemingly rushed nature of your integration. She did ask to meet you both and spend a little time with you before doing so however. She did not want to meet on Thessia but I will explain where, when and what is to happen when we finally get to talk. I know this makes no sense but it is something not many will have the privilege of ever knowing about._

_I hope you all find the next few weeks treat you well._

"I am appreciative of her trying to help us but it is worrying me that she is planning something on our behalf."

"What are you planning Athya?" Lianta suspicious as to what is happening.

"About all we can say is that we need to see a matriarch who has agreed to sign incomplete documentation for us to be officially registered as bondmates. What, when, who and why are all questions we both have at the moment."

"Why would you have incomplete documentation?"

"I guess it is because I cannot list things like my planet of birth Hymara. That is likely to be the case until there is a diplomatic relationship with it."

"I understand." Sam receives a message on his Omni-tool.

_Sam,_

_I have some news for you. Seliha threw a desk through a wall this afternoon and Usarta has requested that she sees a specialist tomorrow. I hope to still come and see you on Friday but it is a little dependant upon how Seliha feels._

_Adastra_

"It sounds like Adastra is having a bit of a tough time."

"Why Sam?"

"It sounds like Seliha threw a desk through a wall at Armali today. I am just thankful that she did not throw it at someone so she seems to be trying. I do hope they get to come around on Friday as I guess it will make Adastra happier and it will be something different than normal."

"I get the feeling Fosanta and Kate are the only two individuals who are relatively sane."

"You are probably right there Lianta but I am not going to see a mental health specialist with Adastra tomorrow as we should have a passenger transport to look over." Lianta nods and the five of them make something to eat.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I hope you do not mind if we just went to bed Adastra. I really do not wish to talk about what happened."

"That sounds fair enough to me Seliha as I can tell you are not your usual self. I just need you to know that I have made an appointment to see a mental health professional tomorrow morning. I hope that you do not hate me for doing so." She nods before going into the bathroom as Adastra settles down in bed with a slight nervousness that Seliha may have taken that news badly. It was only half a minute or so before Adastra could hear a whimpering from the bathroom. She gets up and peers around the doorway to see Seliha curled up in the corner of the shower. Adastra decides to not startle her by talking but instead walks to where she was and carefully takes a seat on the floor next to her. Seliha peers between her fingers to see a watery outline of Adastra. "I hope that you have not taken the news of my appointment badly. Are you still not wishing to talk to me?" She shakes her head which only seems to make the sobbing worse. "Seliha, I am not going to sleep if I know you are in here upset."

"Leave me as I do not wish to hurt you." Adastra reluctantly nods and goes back to the bed leaving Seliha where she is.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"At least we know that Adastra will get some answers about Seliha tomorrow. I guess you are still overly nervous about her Kate?"

"I am becoming more comfortable with Seliha around as she has not done anything since Sam left. Well there was the day after Sam left when he and Athya had gone mad with the pallet wrap but that was a one off."

"I think it was as well. It is not too long off our trip to the citadel now."

"Do you have everything planned already?"

"Not quite Kate. I am not disorganised but I do have work which gets in the way of planning. I was thinking of doing most of it this weekend. Perhaps I could make some arrangements on Saturday if we are to do some event planning on Sunday." Kate nods with a smile. "I hope you sleep well."

"I should do and I will keep Saturday in mind." Fosanta turns off the light by brushing the panel on the wall before pulling Kate a little closer to her.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra feels happier when she feels the bed wobble a little as Seliha finally gets in. She decides not to turn over but the comfort of knowing she is there at least allows her to get to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**It would be good if you did have the time to review this chapter but the next will be posted on the 29th of December so it may be a little waste of your time. I do hope the festivities have entertained everyone and continue to do so through to the New Year.**


	54. Chapter 54 : Answers

**Chapter 54 - Answers**

* * *

><p><strong>Thursday 23rd February 2017<strong>

"I am sorry to not be up earlier you two but I hope you have a good day at work." Adastra walking down the stairs as Kate and Fosanta were just about to leave the house.

"Are you ok this morning Adastra?"

"Yes just tired Kate. I need answers as I did not have the best of nights."

"We hope you get them this morning Adastra and we will see you both when we get back this evening." Adastra nods before Kate and Fosanta leave.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Good morning Omepha. I received a message this morning saying that the transport was ready but it did not say in which hanger it is."

"I will have a look for you Sam." She searches through the database on the console to find the hanger. "It is in hanger fourteen Sam. It is also scheduled for painting over the weekend just for your information."

"I appreciate that, also that is good as I am busy doing other things tomorrow. I hope to see you later." Omepha nods with a smile as the five of them walk through the double doors to head to hanger fourteen.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Seliha, Adastra, Imphaya and Aumarva walk through the doors of the clinic to see a white waiting room with blue upholstered seats and a few green potted plants decorating the space, a 'd' shaped reception desk to their left hand side.

"I guess you must be Seliha?" A purple Asari questioning from the reception desk. She was waiting on their side of the desk and had obviously been talking to the receptionist moments earlier.

"I am." Seliha not sounding overly enthusiastic at the prospect of what was to come.

"A pleasure to meet you, I am Doctor Lamisa. If you would like to follow me then it would be appreciated." The four of them follow her down a corridor at the back of reception and in through a door on the right. "Please excuse the machinery as it is for individuals other than yourselves. I do hope you can be comfortable in here."

"I am sure we will all be fine but I am not sure Seliha is even impressed about being here so it could be a tough ask for her to be comfortable."

"I guess you are Adastra." She nods. "I have heard many things about you from various individuals in this profession but I will not say today what they are."

"I appreciate that as it is something I am not pleased about."

"That is understandable. Could I ask who you two are?"

"I am Aumarva and the individual next to me is Imphaya Lamisa. We are technically for Adastra's protection but if you would like us to leave then it is no problem."

"Would you like them to leave Seliha?"

"I would ideally like you all to do so but I have a feeling that is not going to happen."

"We will wait outside the door." Lamisa and Adastra nod before the two of them leave.

"I got a very basic reason yesterday as to why you are here but would you be willing to explain to me what is happening in more detail Seliha?" She shakes her head.

"Seliha has admitted to being diagnosed with duality syndrome and while it has caused a couple of problems in the last month or so she has not caused any lingering issues. Yesterday however she threw a desk through a wall at work which seemed to surprise everyone. I was informed Armali did not know that she had duality syndrome as she has been in her recessive personality since joining them nearly two hundred years ago. I hope you do not mind me asking Doctor Lamisa but, could you explain to me exactly what this is in a bit more depth as it seems more complex than two personalities?"

"I will explain in a few minutes Adastra." She nods as Lamisa seems to mull over what Adastra had said for a couple of seconds. "Can I ask why you threw the desk through the wall Seliha?"

"I do not know. I can only remember seeing a hole through the wall. It is rather scary and I was hoping that it was not me."

"Has this happened before, recently?"

"I was told that I was a little rough with Kate, I nearly dislocated Sam's arms and choked Amistathya. It was over two hundred years ago before I knew I had done something and not remembered doing so."

"It would be best if I could talk with you Seliha and not your recessive personality as you are hiding."

"I cannot make the switch myself Lamisa."

"She has said before that she was trained to live in her recessive personality if that helps."

"It does Adastra. Do you know if there been any large changes in her life in the last, approximately three months?"

"She only really started to exhibit some strangeness when Sam was on Thessia helping Athya and it was quite sudden and surprising. She after that had some interaction with Kate, Sam and Athya which seemed to cause a little anxiety amongst everyone as it was obvious her dominant personality was hiding things. More recently after a little fun last weekend in Eternity she agreed to try and be friendlier towards us all and go back to a more recessive state. Do you think it was that decision to be friendlier that caused the desk to be sent through the wall?"

"Did you meet Adastra, Sam, Kate and I presume Amistathya at about the same time Seliha?"

"No Athya was later."

"I presume Sam chose Amistathya as his bondmate and Kate already has her choice?" Seliha nods.

"I think Seliha quite liked the idea of Sam being her bondmate in the same way as I did. I am not sure she was all that happy at being turned down by Sam and then him becoming bondmates with Athya but he seems really happy with his choice."

"I was expecting you to say something like that Adastra as takes something big to cause the dominant personality to manifest itself if an individual has been trained. Are you bondmates with Seliha? I am just curious."

"I would like to think so Lamisa but I really want to get to know her a little better before I would feel happy to officially document it."

"I entirely understand that Adastra as you now have a mixed personality to get to know. You asked me what duality was earlier so I shall explain. It is essentially the manifestation of two personalities one of which is generally stronger than the second. The stronger of the two controls memories and switching but generally they work together and take it in turns to be the expressed personality. I assume that you have noticed when you have melded with her that she can control what you see." Adastra nods.

"If they generally work together then why is Seliha being so strange lately?"

"I may be incorrect but it could be the fact that Seliha has been trained to live in her recessive personality coupled with the fact that I think she may be trying to make an agreement with herself. Typically individuals who have duality syndrome do this as they dislike one of their two personalities and wish to make an effort to stay with one personality more often than the other. It is however usually something we attempt to prevent as it can create a fractious mind."

"What do you mean by that Lamisa?"

"A mixed personality is the following, Seliha will think with her recessive personality as that is what she was trained to prefer initially and now seems to prefer on her own. The dominant personality essentially owns the body so food preferences, partner preferences, environmental preferences will all belong to this dominant personality. This mix if it is volatile can create effects where Seliha may walk off mid conversation to go to the toilet or she may suddenly loose what she was thinking or speaking about because of seeing something which catches her dominant personalities attention for just a couple of examples. These may still happen for a short period of time even if she is to settle into a mixed personality."

"Is there a way of stopping the mixing of the personalities Lamisa as you make it sound like a bad idea or can you help in another way?"

"It is Seliha's decision and it unfortunately is best if the personalities are now allowed to mix. I may be able to help further if her personalities settle a little. You can however do more to help Seliha than I can Adastra."

"I can help more than you can?" Adastra sounding a little surprised given she had no idea how and that was one of the reasons why they came.

"Seliha's dominant personality would likely see me as trying to defend her submissive personality and not trying to help them both. I know this sounds simple and I know it will not be but keep her as happy as you can, comfort her when she needs it and discourage any behaviour you do not want. If you can do that then you can help."

"I apologise but I did not get much sleep last night. What exactly do you mean by discourage?"

"It depends on her personalities Adastra. A verbal disapproval is enough for some; physical consequences are unfortunately the best for others. I know you are bondmates and you may not wish to have heard that but this needs a quick resolution for Seliha's mental wellbeing. I must however say that giving her comfort when she needs it, keeping her happy and yet disapproving of some behaviours may lead to her hurting you. It would not be something she would consciously do as she would likely approve of your actions but it could happen. It is a very frightening, upsetting and unpleasant experience to see yourself do and say things to individuals you care about without your intention. It is this reason this needs mixing process needs a quick resolution."

"You explain it as if you have experienced it before Lamisa."

"I experienced a day as a mixed duality sufferer in a controlled setting Adastra and I understand why they only offer it to specialists who are on the watch list already. Seliha I do apologise if you feel that you are being slowly ripped apart inside, I know how much it hurts."

"Did you feel that way last night?" She nods to Adastra as a tear rolls down her face. Adastra moves her chair closer and puts her arms around her. "I guess you just wanted to say what was happening to reassure me but you just could not do so?" She nods again before climbing on Adastra's knee and drying her eyes on her shoulder.

"I guess this whole conversation has been rather close to reality for Seliha and I do feel an empathetic sorrow. There is at least one good piece of news however and that is that Seliha must really like you Adastra and that her dominant personality feels empathy. That gives some hope that they may be able to come to some mutually beneficial agreement."

"I suppose that is good news but it could be just that she is trying to appear a better individual in front of you Lamisa. I say that as she would not let me anywhere near her last night when she was crying in the bathroom. It was difficult for me to leave her like that but she threatened to hurt me."

"You may have a valid point Adastra but the fact that her dominant personality has even allowed her to seek comfort is a very promising start. Most individuals I see only get as far as putting their hand around their partner which also makes me think that Seliha has been trying to create this mix for a number of weeks now. Just ensure you express your disapproval to any threats or behaviour that is not normal."

"I understand that. Would it be likely that Seliha may always be so unpredictable day to day or would she settle into a more normal individual with one personality?"

"Seliha will never have one personality Adastra as you cannot just remove one. Think of this mixing as an Omni-tool with two different processing elements, both of which process the data using different instructions. In the past one was the dominant element and controlled if the recessive element could display its output. The mixing process allows both to run and if they both give the same answer then the problem was deemed to have been shared whereas previously it would have been the output from one or the other. If the answers disagree then there will be a lookup to see which output should be the one to be given. It is this lookup which takes time and effort to build."

"So using that analogy again as it seems to make everything clearer, what did the act of training her to be in her submissive personality do?"

"It essentially made the recessive element the only one which could output anything. When the dominant element needed to exert control it essentially manipulates the data input into the recessive element to do as it wishes. Do remember that from the perspective of the recessive element everything seems normal as it still has to ask for data from the dominant element as that is where the memory is stored."

"I guess this mixing is undoing the training in a way then?"

"No it is essentially adding more code and making everything more complex Adastra. The submissive element is still the only one to be able to output anything hence adhering to the training. It is just that it will ask for the dominant elements output and compares the two before sending the output. The act of disapproving behaviours you do not want promotes the dominant element into making a case for accepting its output rather than it manipulating the data input into the recessive element."

"I guess that means it is likely that she will always be slightly changing?"

"Seliha should settle and become predictable when faced with common problems. If she went somewhere unknown or was in an unknown situation she may become unsettled for a short time while she learns what she needs to do. I cannot really describe anything any better than I have Adastra but I hope it helped."

"It has as I was under some strange illusion that duality was essentially two voices in your head all the time."

"It is only one at a time fortunately. It is just that usually it is either one or the other."

"Is there anything that Armali and I could do to help stop them having to repair more walls or have any more negative interactions?"

"Have Seliha do at least two hours a day, at least one of which during work hours, of solving a physical puzzle of some kind. It is best to be done in three blocks of forty minutes if possible or four of thirty if not. It needs to be fairly simple to avoid stress and frustration but not too easy that boredom sets in."

"How would that help and do you have any suggestions as to what kind of puzzles?"

"The physical puzzles mean the brain has to concentrate on something external to the body and both personalities have to work together to be able to complete the task. I am not sure what Seliha would find boring but cooking, drawing what she can see, stacking boxes in a warehouse and building something can all be suggestions. I hope that you can find something that Seliha enjoys but please try to avoid situations with people as Seliha may become annoyed if they cannot agree with her or only treating her as having one opinion."

"I think we would be able to think of something together Lamisa. I just have one last question that is on my mind about someone else, if you do not mind me asking that is?"

"I may not be able to be specific but you can ask."

"I know an Asari who seems to be naturally quiet and shy but likes being mean and in control at times. She says it is her past but I do not quite believe that."

"That is not very specific as some individuals can feel a greater self-confidence in certain situations and yet they are entirely normal. Do you know if this only happens in certain situations?"

"I can say she never really asks for the situations but when they appear she seems to see them instantly. It does seem to be when there are very few individuals around."

"By mean do you mean that she is a tease or difficult?"

"I would guess both but I do not know for certain. She has given us all a few surprises which really do not fit her personality."

"It sounds like she could be type two recessive variant A. Type two is a genetic mutation and there are three variants, A can be either recessive or dominant, B is always recessive. Please do inform this individual that she should be tested at sometime as we should keep records of type two individuals."

"Can I ask why?"

"Type two individuals can cause mental distress to others and so the Asari Republics prefer to know who such individuals are. It has no grading system for severity because even although there are distinct differences between individuals, all of them can very wildly depending upon the situation and the individuals around them. If you could kindly inform her to be tested to see if she is a type two recessive variant A individual then it would be appreciated."

"What do you mean by mental distress?"

"The typical complaints from individuals close to a type two variant A individual are anxiety, paranoia and confusion but I have seen almost everything including hallucinations and nightmares as well."

"I will make a recommendation to her Lamisa but I would hate to do so if that is not what she has."

"If she says yes to struggling to meld then that can be a good indicator. Asking anyone around her if she has caused them problems would get you the best confirmation however."

"I will ask her when I next see her."

"Do inform her that it is in no way going to harm her if she decides not to be tested. Some people become stressed and worried when they need to be tested which is not what we want."

"I will do that." She nods. "I appreciate the help this morning Lamisa as it has helped me answer a number of questions and hopefully I can help Seliha a little better now." Adastra gets herself and Seliha up from the chair in one go.

"I understand and it was really no problem Adastra. I hope you have learnt a little from this morning as well Seliha. I know it has been more about you than for you but there is little advice I can give you other than try your best to find a good balance." The three of them walk towards the door.

"I am sure that Seliha will be thankful of this morning eventually and I hope you have a good day as well." Adastra and Seliha walk out of the room and back down the corridor to the reception area where Imphaya and Aumarva were waiting. "I apologise for being so long but I had a number of questions I wanted answering."

"That is no problem Adastra as that is why these individuals are here. Would you be willing to say what happened?" Aumarva looks to Seliha who shakes her head as she puts an arm around Adastra.

"It is not easy to describe Imphaya. The best I can say for the moment is that Seliha should settle into something that outwardly seems more normal in situations she is used to."

"That is a bit confusing but I am sure Aumarva and I can talk to you both over some lunch."

"I can do that but do not expect Seliha to say much as I do not think she likes being reminded of her problems."

"We will not ask too many questions. I do hope that you eventually feel happier Seliha as you do not look to happy at the moment." She nods to Aumarva as they walk out of the building and begin to make their way to find some lunch in Nos Astra.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Ok the ship is rather grey but it does look fairly solid."

"I am just hoping it is good to work in. I see materials have already left the cable ready for us to use." Silana pointing to several reels standing by the back wall.

"I am surprised you have not been rushing to look inside Sam."

"I am rushing now Hymara." Sam laughing at Hymara's sigh as the five of them walk up the scaffold style steps to reach the door. "Can I ask how we get in?" Silana pushes the door inwards and slides it to her right. "I guess the door opens inwards because generally the inside is pressurised compared to outside?"

"That and it allows simpler enclosed walkways to the ship as it does not need to allow room for the door to open."

"I guess the doors are automatic once the power is on."

"They are once you have wired it all up with the wire from outside."

"Thank you for reminding me that I will have to go crawling through small ducts with Ami around Lianta."

"I am just glad it is not me." Lianta talking as Silana pushes the outer door closed before pushing the inner one open. Everyone walks forward out of the small airlock and peers around. "Well it is small compared to our apartment but it looks good." Sam takes a few paces to the left and looks through the doorway.

"Ooh, this cockpit looks rather nice with all these transparent surfaces." Silana squeezes next to Sam to have a look.

"It actually looks better than I thought it would. I hope it flies well."

"I am sure it will." She nods before they go and join the other three who were making use of the seats in the living area. "I see they gave us ten seats and instead of a table we get something similar to a breakfast bar. I think we should leave the protective covering on them for a while though while we work."

"I agree but I thought it was eight seats and a table on the design."

"It was Ami but I actually like this arrangement as I can see it working ok for us." Sam walking towards the kitchen area while speaking. "It is actually a nicely adequate kitchen area. I can see it being a bit of a pain to plumb and wire though." Sam noting that everything seems to be fitted already."

"Most of the appliances will already be plumbed or wired as far as going through the floor of the deck Sam. We just need to extend the tubes and wires to their correct places in the space below."

"Fair enough. I am going to continue down here to look at everything else." The three of them get up and Silana walks over to join Sam walking down the narrow corridor on the left hand side of the ship as they look towards the back. Sam peers in the first room to see a small wardrobe with a set of shelves next to it, then a desk with a console on, a double bed adorning the other side of the room. "Well it is a bit of a squeeze in a three metre square room but it is usable."

"You were lucky on the Enlighten to have an extra metre on each dimension Sam. At least it is not a bunk room."

"I would not mind that too much actually Hymara but it is that bit better when you can sleep together." Amistathya squeezes her way through the door to jump on the bare mattress. "Are you claiming this one or something Ami? I thought you may have wanted one a little further down the hallway, nearer to the shower."

"You have a point Sam." She gets off the bed and the five of them continue down the hall looking in each of the next three identical bedrooms before getting to the toilet. "Why did you not make a large bathroom?"

"It is a ship not a palace Ami. I thought it was more beneficial that someone can have a shower while leaving the toilet free."

"I am just waiting to see how much space there is at the back but everything looks nice if compact in here." Sam nods before walking through the door at the end of the corridor into the engineering area only to be confronted by the two thrusters. "Ok that is better than I expected."

"I was not expecting them to be quite this big to be honest Silana but I guess it is easy enough to get past them. I guess this door is where we go down then?" Sam pointing to a metal floor panel with a recessed handle.

"It is Sam. Should we get the wire from outside and start to do something?"

"Well it is not going to wire itself so we may as well." The five of them make their way back to the airlock down the person and a bit wide corridor. "What do you two think?"

"It is compact but it has a bed so you are less likely to be annoying."

"I should not bother asking as it is obvious you see the ship as a necessary utility and not something you can care about."

"I apologise Sam but when you have been in so many rooms and ships over your life then you only see the essential parts. It is not a big ship and if it had three bedrooms rather than four it may have felt a little more spacious."

"It would have been more spacious if it was using ion drives as well Hymara." Sam looks again at the hull as he walks down the temporary stairs. "It will look so much better if it was not light grey."

"You could have a look on Monday before starting work."

"I think I may Silana. You will have to say what wire we need as I have no real idea." She nods as they walk towards the pile of materials.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"It is a bit strange not having Adastra or Seliha here at lunch time."

"I agree but I guess you are finding it a little strange as you have been here with Adastra on your own a couple of times lately."

"I have and with Sam not being around she has been willing to help me discuss a few things. One was that being a father to a daughter would feel unintuitive."

"What did Adastra suggest or should I not ask that?"

"I suggested perhaps her having two mothers would be a workable solution. She felt it was but it may get confusing for the child. I still think as I have said to you previously that I may get used to the idea eventually."

"I am glad to hear that as it would have caused some confusion. Did you discuss anything else Kate?"

"That Adastra would like a daughter named Yaira. Do you have a name that you would like?"

"Aphisa Kate. I like that it flows well, it sounds quite a nice name for a small cute daughter and is not overused either. I would however like to hear if you have one."

"I do and Adastra said that I should change it a little to be easier to pronounce and write in Asari. I thought Helayna but I am unsure what you would think of using a name a little more common to my species."

"I think I would have to see how I feel during the pregnancy as that is the best time to settle on a name."

"I understand that Fosanta." Kate looks at her Omni-tool. "All this talking has taken longer than I expected so I must unfortunately leave. I hope you have a good afternoon."

"I hope that you do as well Kate." She gives Fosanta a short hug before leaving.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Amistathya, Sam, Silana, Hymara and Lianta take a seat at one of the normal tables in the middle of the room. "I think some of the other individuals are either confused or surprised we are sitting down here today."

"That does not help our job Sam but at least it is a table near the edge."

"I feel happier to be considered normal Lianta. I also must thank you both for the help in moving the cabling this morning."

"It was no problem really Sam as I know yourself and Athya cannot lift anything heavy."

"I am still confused as to how this blowing is meant to work."

"On the end of the duct is a small adaptor which allows compressed air to flow between the cable and the duct. The high pressure prevents the cable touching the wall of the duct as it is pushed in and once the compressed air reaches the end of the cable it should also provide a slight pulling force as it expands. I built the adaptor into the end of each duct so the only effort would be in feeding the cable into the duct."

"Can I watch at the other end?"

"Of course Ami. We will need someone there to know when the cable comes out of the other end. Do tell us if it is too noisy though as the air may make some noise." She nods to Sam as she sees an Asari approaching their table.

"Excuse me, do you at all mind if I sat with you? There are not many others left that I can see."

"Of course you may have a seat." Sam gesturing the green skinned purple marked Asari to take one of the two spare seats. "I assume that you are wondering the same thing as everyone else in here?" Sam questioning after she had settles down with her food.

"If you mean that I am wondering why you are sat here then I am. You are of course welcome to sit where you wish but I cannot remember a non-servant ever doing so before."

"Liphanya and Olissa can have their own table but I would rather feel like I am as normal as you or anyone else in this room. I know that is not strictly true as we have a different serving area and no real queues but a table and a chair is a table and a chair. It does not bother me where it is particularly." The green collared Asari nods.

"Does the air not come back out of the hole you are trying to feed the cable into Sam?"

"It will a little Silana but it should be less than the other end and as long as there is enough pressure to keep the cable from bumping into the side of the duct then it should be easy."

"I am sure I will understand after I have seen it work." Sam nods. "I am good to leave when you are then."

"That is ok for those of us who are not answering questions all the time Silana. I will have finished in a minute." Sam finishes off the last of his lunch taking his time a little just because he can.

"Are you being deliberately slow Sam?"

"Of course I am Hymara as it is my day off, or at least it is meant to be. Why should I rush if I am not being paid?" Sam eats the last of his lunch. "Have a good day." Sam gets a smile and a nod off the Asari who sat with them as they all leave her to finish her lunch.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am torn about you taking me to see someone Adastra."

"You did not say too much, looked confused and cried Seliha. Is what Lamisa said roughly correct that you are trying to create an agreement because you do not like your dominant personality?"

"I hate to admit it but yes. Please would you keep questions like that to a minimum however as the struggle to answer is not easy for me."

"I will try not do to so for a while Seliha but you know I have an inability to resist if I am curious. How has this week been for you feeling wise as you rarely say much, even to me?"

"I have just had a tough week Adastra. It becomes difficult to do anything when you cannot concentrate at all. An afternoon of doing something simple and half a day at work tomorrow sounds like a good idea to me."

"Are you sure you do not want tomorrow off? I am sure Usarta would understand."

"I would rather go to work and not do too much hard work than sit around doing nothing at home. It also means if we end up sitting around at Sam's then I have not had a boring day."

"That sounds like a reasonable and well thought out idea. Do you have any ideas for this afternoon though?"

"I would quite like to cook something a bit different for a change."

"What do you think of a challenge then Seliha? You can only use the ingredients we have in the kitchen."

"I was not going to go into Nos Astra to get anything else. I do not feel in the mood to talk to people much to be honest." Adastra nods and the two of them go into the kitchen.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate and Fosanta smell an appealing whiff as they open the front door and enter the house. The two of them quickly go to find the source. "Can I ask what is happening and how you have both got on today?"

"Our visit to Doctor Lamisa was rather insightful to be honest, at least for me Kate. She essentially recommended that Seliha does something physical to help rest her mind. She also said that I needed to discourage certain actions if I can."

"Physical action to rest sounds a little counter intuitive to me."

"It makes sense when I explain fully Kate. As you know Seliha has two personalities but Seliha as we knew her when we first met her is ashamed of her dominant personality, the one which has started to bubble to the surface after a long dormant period. She therefore is trying to make an agreement on how to interact with people but trying to get compromise out of her dominant personality is, I am guessing, not easy. The physical interaction makes the two personalities work together towards a common goal."

"Do you mind us talking about you like this Seliha?"

"No Kate."

"So will Seliha eventually have one personality if they are trying to agree?"

"Doctor Lamisa called it a mixed personality Fosanta. She said that it may mean that Seliha will do things she does not wish to do, at least in the short term or if she is in an unknown situation or environment."

"Seliha, could I ask then if you meant to attack Kate or hurt Sam and Amistathya?" She looks up from stirring the pan.

"Those incidents are what shamed me into trying to do something Fosanta." She turns back to the pot. "Lamisa is correct in that this is not pleasant." Adastra gets up from the table and puts her arm around her.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I will answer Seliha." She nods. "Because Seliha has been trained she is her recessive personality and consciously thinks with that personality. If her dominant personality wishes to do something, it may do what it thinks without switching personalities or asking for permission to do so. This may lead to Seliha thinking about say stirring a pot with a spoon even if she is trying to choke someone with it."

"Ok I can imagine how arduous that could become if it happened often."

"Would someone look after this for a short while?"

"I will Seliha." Adastra carefully taking the spoon from her as she leaves the kitchen.

"I hope I did not say anything to upset her."

"I think she really does not want reminding about her mind Kate. Lamisa also mentioned to me that she way randomly walk off in the middle of a conversation as well but that needs discouraging somehow. I also think I should take this time to say that you should both be a little careful if she looks unhappy but do try to show empathy."

"Could Lamisa not do anything to help her?"

"She said she may be able to once her personality mix has stabilised Kate, but she also said I could do more to help as Seliha seems to trust me. I felt awful last night watching her crying in the bathroom; she would not let me anywhere near her though."

"Do you know how difficult this is for her?"

"Lamisa was not elaborating on that point even though she mentioned she had experienced it herself. I think Seliha would want to hurt me if I asked at the moment but perhaps after she has had chance to calm for a while." Seliha walks back in and takes over stirring the pot. Fosanta puts her arm around Seliha and looks over at the pot. "Can I ask what you are making Seliha?"

"I am not sure but it smells ok."

"I agree. I apologise for myself and Kate not understanding fully what you are going through but you do not say much and we are unlikely to experience what you are experiencing ourselves. I hope you can understand that Seliha." She moves out of Fosanta's arm to stand at the end of the table leaving the pan to itself for a moment.

"I feel I need to say this whether my dominant other dislikes it or not. It frightened me so much when I found out that I had attacked you Kate and felt very ashamed especially after I supposedly hurt Athya. I felt ill from the fact I could have even done such things to anyone let alone friendly individuals. I need to eliminate the switch for most circumstances but she is making me realise I am nothing but a separate neural pattern wherever possible. Can I ask you all to please try to comfort me if I am upset? I know I may seem to make threats or actually try to harm you but I need people who cannot be controlled by my dominant others ways." Seliha closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

"I think we will all do that for you Seliha." Adastra looks to Fosanta and Kate who nod. "I also hope you realise that I will be there to help you whenever you wish."

"Thank you, it means a lot to me. Would everyone like some of this that I made?" Seliha goes over to the pot on the cooker.

"If it is as good as it smells then yes." She nods to Kate and goes to pick out four bowls from the cupboard. Adastra finishes sending a message before helping.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I said blowing cables through pipes was easy." Sam musing to the four others at the table who were eating.

"I liked the hissing noise it made at the end." Amistathya seemed to be perfectly entertained while she was in the ducts watching them come through earlier.

"It was not that much quicker but it was much easier I admit."

"It was not that much quicker Silana only because we had to wait for an air compressor. That and we fed the cables in manually and not by machine which could have quickened the process as it may have only taken a minute a duct in that case. I do however understand why labour intensive is popular on Illium as it is almost free. I was sure however that since we have to finish off that ship ourselves I was to let something else so as much of the work as possible."

"That seems a fair reason Sam and it was true that we did have to wait a while and did hand feed the ducts." He nods to Silana before jumping a little as his omni-tool beeps much to Hymara's evident amusement.

"I know I am entertaining Hymara, even if it is just being a cheap source of laughs but nearly having a heart attack is not funny." Sam looks down and begins to read the message.

"My apologies Sam but it was amusing watching you jump."

_Sam,_

_I feel it would be best to explain what happened today in person tomorrow as it is quite difficult to fully explain. I hope that is ok with you._

_Adastra_

"Well at least I know that Adastra and Seliha will definitely be appearing tomorrow. I think Adastra may just want some moral support more than anything else but we shall see."

"Are we to keep our eye on Seliha Sam?"

"The only issue I had with her really was that I turned her down as a bondmate. I think that upset is essentially what caused her to hurt me a little. Perhaps along the same line of thought she hurt you more than necessary Ami because she was jealous of you taking me away from her."

"That sounds reasonable on reflection even though I was rather upset at the time."

"So the answer is no then?"

"Yes you can do what you wish, go shooting with Aumarva and Imphaya again if you want. I think there are enough of us around to keep a lid on potential problems. I will message you if there are any and you do wish to do something though." Lianta looks to Hymara who seems to think for a few moments.

"Ok we may arrange something then but please do not do anything quite as shocking as the other evening."

"I will not do so Hymara." She does not seem convinced given Amistathya's warm smile but sees this as an opportunity to show trust and so nods in acknowledgement.

"I will do my best to keep everything reasonable Hymara but as you know that does not always work but I will try. I think however that sky blue needs an early night as I hear bioamp testing is tiring."

"Also I think Pheinova will be here early as well Sam so that is something else to consider." Sam nods to Silana as he eats the last of his food.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I guess I must be a little empathetic towards Seliha's position as it would probably make me commit suicide if what I did was not what I intended and people got the wrong idea."

"I can see now why she could not be a commando. Having that battle of the mind in the heat of the moment would not be good." Fosanta gets into bed and shuffles up to Kate.

"I hope she is better tomorrow as she said she was to propose a ritual to Adastra if I remember correctly."

"You do but if you remember back to what happened in Eternity last weekend and how happy she was afterwards I have a feeling tomorrow will not be a problem." Kate smiles before yawning.

"I think you are right but I would really like to get some sleep Fosanta so I do not end up like Seliha."

"I agree as I would quite like a sane bondmate and I am not sure you would suit a crazy personality. I hope you sleep well." Fosanta gives Kate a kiss.

"I may suit a crazy personality as it would match having a naughty partner." Kate laughs as the purple tinge on Fosanta's face. "I find you are slightly embarrassed about that and not much else amusing. I apologise."

"I think you need some sleep Kate or I can see tomorrow being the last day that you are not embarrassed this week." Kate puts her head down on the pillow with a smile and Fosanta joins her.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I know you would rather not talk Seliha but if you could listen I would appreciate it." She nods. "I know that you were not happy about me making that appointment but I needed some answers. By that I mean the only things I knew earlier was the fact that when I meld you can control what I see of your memories and you have two personalities, both of which seemed mutually exclusive. I now however understand that it was a particularly ill-informed and naive view of you and I apologise for not working it out myself."

"I hope you do not hate me for asking but could we go to sleep and talk about this tomorrow Adastra? I am rather tired and would rather sleep at the moment."

"I could not hate you if you stay friendly Seliha, even if you have some occasional strange moments. I do hope you sleep better than last night as I am tired as well." She nods before turning the light off.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I believe I owe you an explanation Sam as I unfortunately forgot last night. I do apologise for that oversight." Amistathya drying herself in a slightly seductive manner after the two of them had finished a shower.

"If you owe me it then you may as well say and not tease me Ami."

"You seem confused as to how I can get you to do things you would rather not do, so I will explain. I know you get agitated and paranoid quickly if nothing happens but you expect something to do so. I also know that you cannot think properly when I have you pinned down. I learnt that from the markers when I suggested I was to mark your face, neck and hands and you agreed with no real reluctance. I used the relief from the paranoia and the fact you were a little aroused to propose something which I know you would not have agreed to, at least at such short notice."

"Damn. At least I am aware of what is happening now though."

"It will make no real difference whether you know or not Sam. I also like manipulating your environment to get you to do certain things, for example interacting with Silana more. She could barely stop talking to me about how much she enjoyed that night while you were terminating all of those fibre optics in the cockpit yesterday Sam. She is very much a physical individual."

"I feel taken advantage of and almost like a toy to entertain you."

"That is not my intention Sam and for that I apologise. It is just the only way I really know to show how much you mean to me. Why else would I spend so much time trying to protect you from others, thinking of ways to keep both you and I entertained and spend so much of my time close to you?"

"Because you find it fun Ami. I know the actual answer by now."

"I will try to show my appreciation tomorrow Sam."

"As long as it does not mean drowning me in the bath or hanging me from the railings then I will think about it." She gives Sam a hug. "We should get to bed as you have a busy day tomorrow." She nods and the two of them leave the bathroom to go to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**A day late I know. The chapter was shorter than I expected and so it needed some padding. It also needed a rewrite in certain areas as it was either excessively confusing or just made little sense. I hope it is all good now and I hope to get chapter 55 done and posted on the 5th of January.**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated if you can spare a few moments to write one.  
><strong>

**I hope you all have a happy new year and all the best for 2013.**


	55. Chapter 55 : Expanding Expectation

**Chapter 55 - Expanding Expectation**

* * *

><p><strong>Friday 24th February 2017<strong>

"Good morning Pheinova. Come in." Hymara gestures her inside and to take a seat with Sam and Lianta who were waiting for Amistathya and Silana to get dressed.

"I hope you do not mind Ami wearing something a bit different as she was a little eager to try it on."

"I hope by different you do not mean transparent Sam."

"I do not as I know you were not impressed the other day. I think Ami would rather keep herself covered outside the apartment anyway."

"Can I ask how you are getting back Sam as Hymara and I have arranged to go out for the afternoon."

"I am hoping to get a shuttle back with Adastra and Seliha as they come from Armali."

"Are we ready to leave?" Silana seemed ready and keen to get going.

"Oh." Sam gets up from the seat and walks over to the two Asari at the bottom of the stairs. "It is certainly different Ami, the black and blue skirt contrasting with the yellow and orange of your body."

"I am not sure about my orange breasts showing quite so well though." Amistathya looks down at herself.

"I was going to make a comment about how can you be so unsure about your breasts being obvious and yet you are fine with your markings but I will not."

"I am happy with my body and ok with how I look but I am quite picky with what I wear." Pheinova gives a puzzled sigh.

"We should leave." The six of them leave the apartment in Pheinova's shuttle to go to Armali.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Good morning. How are you both?" Fosanta yawning a little as she walks into the kitchen.

"I am better than yesterday Fosanta and Seliha seems quietly happier which is better."

"That is good to hear. I guess you two will be leaving soon as I know we were up a little later than usual."

"I am as I could do with talking to Usarta as well as Thea and Samalya about the thruster design. It sounds like a busy morning for me."

"We can leave now if you wish."

"I am ok with that Seliha. I will see you two this evening sometime."

"I hope you both have a good day." Adastra nods to Fosanta before the two of them leave. "I am not sure how Adastra knows Seliha is happier but I guess they know each other reasonably well now."

"I guess you are musing Fosanta as I find reading any Asari difficult."

"I am Kate. When is your first appointment this morning?"

"Actually we do not have too long but having a bit of an extra lie in was worth it."

"I agree with that."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra had requested Seliha to have an easy day and was now waiting in the reception area for Usarta to finish a meeting. She sits there ruminating over yesterday for a few minutes until Usarta walks out of the interview room. "I apologise for you waiting Adastra. I assume that you have news about your visit to a mental health specialist yesterday?" Adastra nods as she stands up from the seat before following Usarta into one of the side rooms. "I assume there was some detailing that could be advantageous to us?"

"There is but Seliha seems to be less black and white than you may expect so I would quite like to say from the start what happened."

"I appreciate that Adastra as I assume this has not been easy for you either."

"You are correct but she really is trying to be friendly and helpful. She did not say much to Doctor Lamisa yesterday but I feel that it was not necessarily needed."

"Did she give any helpful advice to you Adastra?"

"She did but, can I ask if she was alone when it happened as you were vague on Tuesday?"

"She had spoken to an engineer about an hour before but there were no other visitors after that."

"I am relieved to hear that. Doctor Lamisa recommended she has breaks with something physical to do to try and help."

"Did she provide any examples to you Adastra or was it that vague?"

"She suggested building something. I guess as long as it does not require imagination but it is a little tricky then it would be suitable."

"I am sure we could organise something for Seliha to do in that case. I will have a think over the weekend what that could be specifically and speak to you both on Monday. Was there anything else that would be best that we should know about?"

"Seliha is mixing her personalities which may mean that she could do something she did not consciously think about doing and not stop it happening. Lamisa said the breaks should help with that though."

"Ok. We will discuss this over the weekend as I said and come up with some sort of plan. I do appreciate you taking Seliha to see someone as we would have done so."

"I needed some questions answering so it was helpful for me as well. I should really get back to work though."

"I have been informed you have someone waiting for you in the Skylounge when you gave some spare time."

"Will you say who?"

"I am sure you that you will find out shortly Adastra. Have a pleasant day."

"You too." Adastra sounded a little perplexed but going with the weird flow of the day as she begins to make her way towards the propulsion building. Next on her list was a quick talk to Thea and Samalya before going to meet the mystery individual.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Hello Athya and Silana."

"I think Athya is a little nervous without Sam Whesiva but I am hoping she can find some comfort with me being here. How are you today?"

"I am feeling good Silana. Athya, I think some nervousness is understandable but everything should be fairly straightforward. Ebaea, the second test participant, should be here soon. Do you have a bioamp holder on Athya?" She nods before pulling out the dummy bioamp. "Oh, that is an interesting design."

"It works well." Whesiva nods before picking up one of the testing amplifiers from the table and handing it to Amistathya.

"It is the single stripe to the top Athya." She slides it into the dress and feeling her nerves tingle as it activates.

"That was not what I am used to."

"You mean the funny feeling when it first becomes active?" She nods. "It is normal for bio-amplification to do that Athya. Have you not worn a bioamp before?"

"No only active limiters."

"That explains everything. Bioamps pulse upon activation to indicate they are happy with their position and contact with the body. You can take a seat if you wish to wait for everyone else to turn up." Athya takes a seat next to Silana. "I heard Pheinova was not all that impressed when she saw your markings on Tuesday."

"She did not seem to comprehend that our apartment is a private space Whesiva. We were also eating at the time so we could not really go to get changed."

"I understand people may not be keen but I would at least like them to respect me."

"You both make good points and I agree with you Athya that you should be respected." The three of them hear the door open and Ebaea, Pheinova and Fosanta walk in.

"I am a little surprised by both Sam not being here and your dress Amistathya."

"It is good to see you as well Fosanta. Athya is a little shy this morning."

"Ebaea this is Amistathya and Silana, Sam's bondmate and servant respectively."

"A pleasure to meet you both. Which of you is actually here for the testing this morning?"

"I am Ebaea but I am not sure how well I will do."

"We do not need too much from either of you today as it is just to give us baseline performance improvements. We will ask you at the end to design your version which you will receive next week sometime. If you would kindly both get used to it before we next test you it would be appreciated."

"Could I ask when that will be as I know four of us will be going to Thessia in a couple of weeks or so?"

"Say a month today Fosanta so the twenty fourth of March if that is ok with everyone." Pheinova gets nods from everyone.

"It is but could I ask for a separate holder Pheinova?"

"I will sort something out afterwards Amistathya." She nods. "Have you both got the testing bioamps?" Whesiva gives Ebaea hers and she puts it in the holder which was hidden under her clothes.

"I cannot understand how anyone can live with 15mm."

"You could get used to the size eventually Ebaea, especially if you are given no choice. If you have the choice of size however then I have heard that 12mm is much more comfortable."

"I find 12mm very easy to forget about Silana but 15mm is just a little too rigid and a little too large for me."

"That would be why I was keen to get you involved Ebaea as it allows us to test a 12mm and a 15mm version. Which of you would like to go first?"

"If you do not mind Ebaea I would like to as it takes me a long time to recover."

"Please do go first Amistathya." She nods before standing up.

"If you could just stand on the mark on the floor Athya I can then ask you to do certain things. Please remember you have a bioamp so do try to do more than you would usually be capable of."

"I understand Whesiva." Pheinova takes a seat on the side with Silana and Ebaea. "I feel nervous that I have an audience."

"You will be fine Athya. Just do as Whesiva asks." Silana hopes that it helped calm her nerves but the reluctant nod was not reassuring.

"I will ask Pheinova in a second to send a push across the room in front of you Athya. If you would explode it and try to make a pattern out of the parts I would appreciate it." She turns her head and nods to Whesiva who was behind a couple of consoles with Fosanta. "Are you happy Fosanta?" Whesiva indicates to Pheinova that they are ready and she quickly sends a weak push in front of Amistathya. She explodes it and creates six spheres of energy, five of which orbit the larger centre sphere in the style of a solar system. This delicate blue glow of slowly moving light exploded into fragments after twenty or so seconds which scattered and hit everything in the room. Amistathya stumbles a little as she goes to hold her head and Silana quickly gets off her seat.

"Are you ok Athya?"

"I, can I sit down?" Silana helps her do so before getting any response as she knew she got headaches from what happened with Liphanya on Monday. "I am sorry but I am not as good as I used to be."

"You did more than most of us can Athya." Whesiva looks back to her screen. "You seem physically comfortable; did you find the bioamp helped?"

"Perhaps but I need something that does not involve that much mental control to know for certain though. I, after an incident, have not been able to have such intense control for long periods of time."

"I do apologise Amistathya but I think I must be over double your age and yet I would struggle to do what you just did. Controlling spin is difficult."

"It used to be easier for me but I have not had practice for many, many years either Ebaea. I could do with a drink however."

"I will get you one Amistathya. Would you be willing to provide a push for Ebaea while I am away Silana?"

"Yes." Pheinova nods before leaving the room.

"I guess it is my turn then." Ebaea stands up from her seat and walks over to the spot where Amistathya stood. "I guess it is just like normal control testing?"

"Not quite Ebaea. All we would like is your most complex pattern for the longest period possible. Can you do that?"

"I can Whesiva. I am ready when you all are." Whesiva gets the nod off Fosanta that she is ready.

"Silana if you could send a weak push in front of Ebaea then it would be appreciated." She stands up and quickly releases a light purple pulse which explodes and then begins to make a helix with the particles of energy at the bottom being sent back through the middle to be recycled. Silana can only watch in confused amazement for the over a minute and a half before the particles just drift slowly on their current trajectory throughout the room. "I guess you just felt too much static build-up there Ebaea?"

"I did, it was becoming a little uncomfortable. I hope the test data was ok however."

"It was fine. Can I just ask you to send the strongest push you can manage into the panel opposite you?" Ebaea responds by doing so. "Thank you. That is everything for the moment Ebaea." She nods before sitting back down.

"I would ask how you do such actions but I know it would be wasted."

"I started with mirrored patterns Silana and just found it easy to apply the same changes to multiple targets. Even though there are hundreds of little particles of energy we are only really working with one or perhaps two patterns. I was only concentrating on an eighth of that pattern you saw."

"I can just about manage a split on a good day if I am lucky Ebaea and even then I can do nothing with it."

"You are not alone Silana." Phinova comes back through the door with a drink for Amistathya who she hands it to.

"Thank you. I needed this."

"I guess you did the helix Ebaea." She just nods with a slight smile. "That has been your party trick for how long now?"

"Well over three hundred years and it still makes people sit and watch. It is quite entertaining really."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra walks into the Skylounge and begins to wonder around for someone who she may know. She looks over to the corner of the Skylounge where they usually try to sit to see a familiar face. She makes her way over to the table which had a nice view out of the window; a planter obscuring the view from half of the Skylounge for a bit of privacy. "I was not expecting you here Sam."

"I apologise in that case if you do not wish to see me. I am here as Silana is being tested to see if she is strong enough biotically to catch us if we ever fell. Sentix mandate that one person in each team should be able to do so. Ami is quite weak biotically and I have none at all so Silana is the unlucky one."

"And you were not allowed in?"

"Only one visitor and I knew I would be more comfortable than Ami sitting around here. I also thought I could talk to you for a change Adastra as we have not had much opportunity to do so recently."

"I understand now and I agree with the lack of conversation lately therefore, what would you like to talk about Sam?" Adastra hoping that it is not about Seliha.

"How are the thrusters going?" Adastra seemed a little relieved to get that question.

"Actually it is progressing quite well Sam. The smaller ones are being made now and the larger design has a few changes. One is that the plasma tube is no longer one tube but nineteen inside a twenty five metre casing."

"Interesting. That may actually be beneficial for what we need as it could increase the surface area of the plasma a bit."

"Not only that but the old design was almost unmanufacturable. This is technically a much simpler solution. The only issue we are having is with the amount of current we will need as the voltage needs to be kept fairly low to stop it arcing between tubes."

"I am sure you will solve that problem." She laughs a little.

"Not me Sam but Thea, the younger individual you met on your first day is full of ideas. She was the individual to resolve the problem by providing the gas through the conductors thereby cooling them and heating the gas ready to be made into plasma. The simulator seems happy with that flash of inspired thinking and so we are just finishing off things such as valves and size reductions now to save weight."

"I knew that the thrusters were once part of the event I had no need to worry about Adastra."

"So how has work been this week for you and Athya? How was being attacked biotically?"

"She never really hit me Adastra but she is not exactly wishing to talk to me much at the moment. I have been biotically pushed around by Ami more which was a little strange but she seemed to be gentle while doing so. Actually Ami pushing me around was what lead to Lianta and Hymara being a little nervous the last few days but I will explain more later. I will also say that I really quite like the passenger transport, it should be getting painted today."

"I am really envious of you having your own transport Sam. How did the thrusters fit?"

"They are much longer than the one metre designs on the Enlighten. I was very surprised when I saw them and Sentix made the fusion core larger as well which did not help. All I can really say is I am glad Silana put ducts into the engineering space as everything is packed almost solid."

"I can imagine since you are essentially using a design for ion drives. I have a strange question on my mind Sam if you could answer it?"

"I doubt it will be that strange."

"Does Athya struggle to meld with people Sam?"

"Ok that is a little strange but she does Adastra. I get some bad instability after doing so but she has said it is not that big of a struggle, at least with me. I am however a little curious as to why you asked such a specific question though."

"I will explain later along with Seliha's issues Sam. Do you have any plans for this afternoon?"

"Other than have a talk with you two not really. Did you have any?"

"I think Seliha was keen to see if you would be interested in a bit of fun to be honest. At least she was at the beginning of the week."

"Why did I not see that request coming? Ok but no melding and no sex with me if that is fine with you."

"I cannot see a problem with that Sam. I guess you would like a lift back to your apartment?"

"It would be appreciated as Hymara and Lianta are somewhere else this afternoon."

"Ok. I just need to finish off a couple of things before finishing. I will be about twenty minutes."

"I will wait here and watch the traffic out of the window."

"Ok." Sam goes back to watching the skycars make their way through the city to pass the time.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I appreciate you not asking me to do the intensive test again as I have a headache after the first one."

"It is no problem Athya. We also have your chosen design and a request for a custom holder." She nods to Whesiva.

"You may leave when you wish Amistathya and Silana but if you would not meet here then it would be appreciated."

"Where would you recommend we meet Pheinova?" She looks to Fosanta and Whesiva at the consoles for a suggestion.

"There is a small seating area two floors down in the lift Silana. If you turn left when you exit the lift then you will see it as it is near the skybridge and is difficult to miss."

"I appreciate the help Fosanta and I do apologise for not saying much to you but it has been a busy morning."

"That is no problem Silana. I just hope you are all well and I hope to hear from Seliha and Adastra what has been happening."

"It has also been good to meet you as well Ebaea."

"Likewise Silana. I hope you both have a good afternoon."

"Thank you everyone." Amistathya says before the two of them exit the room and walk to the lift, Silana sending a message to Sam so he knows where to meet them.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Why are you four here?" Seliha questioning as she approaches Adastra, Amistathya, Sam and Silana with a box in her hands not long after Sam and Adastra had arrived.

"It is a surprise Seliha. The reason is that Silana has been in biotic testing this morning for Sentix's benefit. I thought I may as well come along to say hello to Adastra and ask how the thrusters were progressing." She nods seemingly happy with the explanation before they all begin to make their way to the shuttle.

"How was it this morning Silana?"

"Not too bad to be honest Adastra. I think Athya was a little nervous without Sam though." Adastra looks behind her to see Sam and Amistathya with an arm around each other.

"I think you may be right there. I guess you have worked out that you are getting a lift back with us." Silana nods as they walk into the lift to head to the shuttle.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Oh that makes a change, no Hymara or Lianta." Sam musing as they walk in to the apartment. "I would say something to eat and a talk first, and then we can see about entertainment."

"I will make something for everyone after going to the toilet." Sam nods to Silana who leaves.

"Could I keep my dress on Sam?"

"It is your choice Ami and you know that I like them." She smiles and takes a seat on Sam's knee after he had sat on one of the single chairs. Seliha sits next to Adastra and puts her box on the spare seat of the three seat sofas. "Ok I am going to get the ball rolling. Hymara and Lianta have disappeared because the one on my knee thought it would be a great idea to try drowning me in the bath on Tuesday. What I think scared them a little is Hymara, Lianta and Silana were all in the bathroom when it happened."

"Really Athya?" She nods with a smile.

"I am not going to explain why though as it was difficult to convince even Silana."

"It was not really that difficult Athya but it was just so unexpected from you." Silana talking as she walks from the top of the stairs to the bottom before taking a seat on the other sofa opposite Sam and Amistathya.

"I will get this out of the way first then since it is relevant. We saw a Doctor Lamisa yesterday and I thought that while I was clearing any questions that I had I would ask anonymously about you Athya. Your little surprise a few weeks ago with your transparent dress and playfulness with Kate surprised me enough to have questions. I asked Sam a question earlier in the Skylounge which Doctor Lamisa said would be a good indicator that you are a type two recessive variant A individual Athya. She has asked me to request that you do at least get that verified at some time but it is not something which you need to worry about."

"So type two recessive variant A means what?"

"That I naturally like messing with you Sam. Downsides may include stress, anxiety, paranoia, confusion, frustration, bad neural instability after melding and tiredness." Sam laughs.

"I think if you change may to will then it is an accurate list. Can someone explain why or what it is?" Sam looks to the one on his knee who shakes her head.

"Lamisa said it was a genetic mutation and they can cause mental distress. She listed a couple of things that you said Athya along with hallucinations and nightmares." Sam cannot help but sigh with a smile. "You have had hallucinations and nightmares Sam?"

"Well I did see Kate with blue skin once when she did not. I am not entirely sure whether that counts as a hallucination or not. The nightmares are not really Ami's fault though and are becoming less frequent now. Was there anything else that I may not know about that Lamisa said Adastra?"

"I do not think so Sam as I was more interested in Seliha and I was wasting her time."

"That is understandable. So how are you today Seliha as I heard that you were trying to knock down the biotics building on Wednesday."

"Nervous."

"Should I not ask about your condition then Seliha as I can easily just let whatever happens happen? It works with Ami and I tend to make it out of the other side."

"My nervousness is not from that Sam. I must apologise again for what I supposedly did to you both. I am ashamed that my other personality has resurfaced in full view of everyone and I hope neither of you hate me for what happened."

"I think Ami and I understand Seliha. Would you like to explain what Lamisa said or would you rather Adastra did so?" Seliha looks to Adastra.

"Seliha is trying to mix her personalities but Lamisa said that duality suffers should not do so. She said there may be times where she does or says things that are not of her conscious doing and it is not a pleasant experience. I got the feeling that this may happen often for a short while until she stabilises a little."

"Are you trying to mix your personalities for a reason Seliha?"

"I dislike how my dominant self interacts with others Sam as she is quite self centred and a little cold. I like her confidence however but she is not willing to compromise with me at the moment. She took away my memories on Wednesday and I could not remember how to do even basic things like send Omni-tool messages or even how I got home from Armali. I feel I need help from others to back me up and help me settle this disagreement."

"If you tell us what you need Seliha then we can try to help."

"Please give me a little support if I look unhappy even if I say I am fine or threaten you then I would be most thankful. Athya if you could kindly be very cautious as I do not wish to hurt you again I would feel happier."

"We would have done that anyway Seliha. As I have said to you before I will still be a good friend to you even if I have the sky blue one as my bondmate. Anyway, Adastra said that you may like some fun after food, would that be the case?" She nods.

"Can I ask what you have in your box Seliha?"

"It is for Adastra Athya." She picks it up and hands it to her.

"Well that is a little unexpected as I thought it was just items for us to play with later. I do hope that it is not a gift as compensation for this weeks problems."

"It is not Adastra but I hope it helps settle that inconvenience as well." Adastra opens the box with her usual excitement before stopping dead after peering inside. A smile painted on her face as she stands up and puts the box down on the seat before practically jumping on Seliha. Amistathya, Silana and Sam are a little bemused as to what is actually happening. Adastra sits up and wipes a tear from her left eye.

"Yes Seliha. You may be a little confusing and difficult to understand but you have always had a warm heart. It is difficult for me to imagine a more weirdly wonderful individual than you." Seliha sheds a couple of tears in relief as she pulls Adastra in for a kiss.

"Oh I really hate emotional moments. Is food nearly ready Silana as I am going to end up joining these two if I have nothing else to do?"

"It is Sam. I am a little surprised that Seliha has chosen here though?" Amistathya gets what Sam wants to do and gets up to get him stand and go to the table. Seliha breaks the kiss.

"I apologise for what I have done and what I may do Adastra but your soft heart and understanding personality make me feel I have a place in life. I could not let you move out of my reach as I love you more than I admit." Adastra gives Seliha a hug. "I think we should get some lunch." Adastra gets up off Seliha and the two of them go to the table with damp but happy faces.

"I guess it was a ritual in the box?"

"Yes Silana. While I know what is to happen, I really like this plant which has made me a little more emotional."

"I am so glad Hymara and Lianta are not around. Can I ask what the ritual is as I am sure it is probably not as illegal as ours?"

"It is legal Sam but just very difficult to get from Thessia as the Sansi plant dies quite quickly in a pot when in full bloom. I cannot imagine the planning it has taken to get it here for today Seliha."

"It was worth it for you Adastra."

"Would someone like to explain for the Asari limited amongst us?"

"One of the first things you are taught when you go walking in Asari woodland is never touch the orange flowers, that and smelling the purple ones. The orange ones as a rule generally have a potent skin irritant on them and while the effects generally do not last long some can be uncomfortable to say the least."

"I think I can put my limited knowledge together now from what Ami has told me about Asari tribes and what Silana has just said. The slight smile on Ami's face says you are in trouble though."

"There was a reason I offered you the ritual here and not at home Adastra. Sam I would be most honoured if you, Athya and Silana helped us make this afternoon more memorable for us."

"Adastra already worked out that was the reason for you wanting to visit Seliha so yes. No melding with us three and no sex, otherwise it is whatever goes." Seliha nods, the smile still stuck on her face. "You both look shocked that this is actually happening."

"I was not expecting it to be today after what has happened on Wednesday and yesterday Sam. It is my favourite plant as well which has scared me a little as I have never felt such a soft warmth inside before."

"I was afraid that after what has happened that Adastra may see me as someone who is too difficult to be bondmates with."

"I think that would be an entirely natural reaction Seliha so I would not worry. You should both at least have your lunch as it means you get onto the fun things faster." Sam was impressed at quite how well that little motivational sentence worked.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"You look a little happier than usual this afternoon Kate. I assume that you had a good morning?"

"Sometimes I just have one of those strange mornings."

"Strange in what way?"

"I know I have been told about Illium surveillance but sometimes I think some of these individuals who come in know a little more than I was aware was common knowledge."

"Such as what Kate?"

"Well the first is that there seems to be a mild rumour about an event that is associated with us that is spreading. That could be because of various individuals agreeing to appear at the event and it has just leaked but the fact they knew that we had no ticketing or venue services yet was worrying."

"The former I guess may be because tickets are not available. The second may have been because they happen to know someone in that trade. I would not think too much about it Kate."

"Perhaps, she was at least friendly to talk to which did improve my morning. How has your morning been?"

"I was with the testers this morning trying some new sensor designs that we had made. The data seemed ok which was a relief but I will need to wait until it has been scrutinised properly before calling the new design an improvement."

"So you were not planning anything then?"

"No Kate, I already have most of our little break sorted out. Only next week left to work now."

"I know and yes I am looking forward to it Fosanta. It will be nice to actually see the Citadel properly. I must however leave ask I have a busy afternoon of appointments."

"I will speak to you later then." Kate gives Fosanta a hug before leaving her to finish off her lunch.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra carefully lifts the small plant out of the box and places it on the table, its three orange, heavily petalled flowers a bright contrast to its thin, grass like, deep green leaves. "Can I ask what you are to do and where do you think would be best?"

"Do you mind if we used the bathroom Sam?"

"It is big enough so of course not. Would you like to be alone for a while?" Adastra carefully lifts the plant up by its pot. She looks to Seliha.

"You can all join us if you wish." The five of them head up to the bathroom. Adastra puts the plant on the worktop away from the edge before the two of them get undressed. Adastra then takes the plant and places it on the floor the two of them sitting either side of it. "I think we should leave the middle one so which do you want Adastra?" Adastra nips off the flower nearest Seliha's side and Seliha takes the one from her right.

"Which method do you prefer Seliha as I have a preference but I am ok with either."

"I know you well enough to know your preferences Adastra." Seliha begins to delicately brush her left breast with the orange flower and Adastra laughs a little before doing likewise. "Could one of you kindly take the plant downstairs for us as we would like to keep it for a while?" Silana takes up the role and removes the plant from the bathroom. Adastra and Seliha do not take too long to finish and after they do so they drop the flowers in the toilet and flush it.

"Do I need to ask what is to happen, how long for and any other information?"

"It would be best if we waited thirty minutes before we interacted as that gives the irritant time to fully soak in so that it will not affect you. The symptoms usually take about thirty minutes to appear, peak at about the two hour mark and are usually gone in eight to ten. I guess you can work out what will happen as it is the same as any other skin irritation."

"It must have been two massive tits who came up with this ritual." Amistathya cannot help but laugh as the other three in the room just roll their eyes. "Sorry but I knew Ami would find it funny. I appreciate the explanation though Adastra. I am just wondering what you would like to do interaction wise."

"Look in the box downstairs Sam. I got a few things for today."

"I will be right back." Sam and Amistathya leave the bathroom to see Silana coming back up the stairs. "We are to look in the box the plant came in Silana." She turns and walks back down and the three of them go to the box and huddle around as Sam empties it onto the table.

"Ok I can appreciate why Seliha brought this." Athya looking at the label on a bottle of lubricant with a cooling effect. "Could you take the rope upstairs Sam?"

"Only if you promise not to tie me up with it."

"Yes, I will explain when I get up there." Sam nods and goes to pick it up out of the storage room. He is only a few seconds before he walks back with the four pieces of rope in his arms. "Sam. Can you and Silana tie Seliha and Adastra in a kneeling position with their wrists tied to their ankles but only using two pieces of rope?" Sam thinks for a moment. "I thought you would be able to do that Sam?"

"I can do that Ami. I may also be able to spread their legs as well if that would be convenient." She nods and Silana goes to help Sam. "Ami, can you bring up the lubricant and the two vibrators when you come up?" Sam leaning over the balcony rail to see her, she nods and Sam and Silana walk into the bathroom to see Seliha and Adastra talking not still sat on the floor. "How are you two?"

"Still elated Sam. I seem to have rather tiring memories of that rope however." Sam sits down on the floor and puts the rope next to him.

"I need to ask if you are both willing to be tied kneeling down as it seems Ami has an idea but what that is I do not know."

"I think we can do that Sam." The two of them tuck their legs under themselves. "I must advise you not to touch our breasts for another twenty minutes or so Sam."

"I do not think he would do so anyway Seliha as Sam was always reluctant." Seliha laughs.

"I will heed your advice Seliha and I apologise if either of you get any rope burn."

"I am sure rope burn will be the least of our worries in an hour or so."

"Probably. Silana would you like to tell Adastra what happened on Tuesday while I tie them both up? They seem to be of the opinion I am reluctant to interact with others for some strange reason."

"He had no issues teasing Hymara or being so gentle and yet dominant with me Adastra. I feel excited just thinking about what happened."

"So you have got over your reluctance then Sam?" He laughs a little as he finishes tying Seliha up. "What is funny?"

"It is just down to a lack of experience really Seliha as I am generally much happier around Ami then I am other Asari. I was fairly happy with you on Tuesday as well Silana as you had previously said what you liked and I felt you had been left out a little previously." Amistathya walks into the bathroom and places the lubricant and the vibrators on the worktop. "I have no idea about you both really other than Ami probably has an idea." She smiles and nods with a little confusion on her face.

"Seliha was asking if Sam was less reluctant to interact with others now Athya. I had a bit of a struggle to get him to relax at first."

"Would you come with me for a moment Sam?" He nods and follows Amistathya out of the bathroom.

"Do you know what is to happen Silana?"

"I do not Seliha but I doubt they should not be long. Are you both still comfortable?" The two of them nod and they wait for Sam and Amistathya to come back.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Was Sam disappointed at you being so bad last time you came here?"

"To be honest he did not seem too bothered Imphaya."

"I would be but then again I was always known as the perfectionist in the academy Lianta. Annoyingly I was never at the top of class though."

"How did you two meet as you seem older than Imphaya Aumarva?"

"I am a little but funnily enough it was at Armali academy after I had been given my biotic limiter. I needed to do extra training in physical combat to still be allowed to be deployed. Imphaya was in there trying to improve after failing one of her exams through a minor mistake."

"I think we all failed something once Imphaya except Hymara who seemed to have bribed her instructor."

"I just learnt the system and then I knew what was expected Lianta."

"I was doing the same until my instructor got wise to what I was doing. That was when I struggled and when I first met Aumarva. I do think we should get some practice in instead of talking all afternoon though, you two certainly need it if last time is anything to go by."

"I blame the gun; maybe I have a slightly warped barrel."

"You cannot use that excuse in battle Lianta but I could look at that for you if you wish when we get to the range."

"I will be fine Imphaya, perhaps last time was just an off day given everything that was happening."

"We will see."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I asked you out here for a short talk Sam."

"About what?"

"I may have mentioned yesterday that I would try to express my appreciation for you in a better way. I cannot really think of anything at the moment though."

"Ami, I really do wish you would not overly worry about trivial things like that. You are free to take as long as you wish but I would quite like to see if you can just show your appreciation without needing to abuse me."

"I will see what I can do over the next few days."

"Did you have anything interesting in your box from Atansys?"

"It is mostly manuals and little items of sentimental value to me. I am very happy I managed to get them back as some of them mean a lot to me."

"So nothing else?"

"I was a servant Sam. While I was still provided with credits each week, I both had very little space to store anything and was unable to go out shopping. I only have a small cube of volcanic glass that my mother gave me."

"I was only asking in case you had anything a little different as I could have been interested."

"You could always look at my diary if you wished. You treasure that datapad as it is almost as if you have someone to talk to."

"Only if you are happy with that Ami as I am sure it could be destroyed instead."

"I know I feel uneasy that it exists but it must be kept Sam. You can look later if you wish."

"I know this is not easy but the information on that datapad could be nearly a hundred years old."

"Two hundred and four Sam. I began keeping a record when my father gave me a personal datapad. I pulled my backup when I got to Atansys and continued it. Those words have such emotion for me that I could hardly let them be lost even if there are more negatives than positives."

"Ami your willingness to share and trust me is worth a lot more than material gifts of appreciation. I was a little convinced at first that you brought me out here to say something about my reluctance."

"It is up to you to decide if it is a problem or not Sam. I do however think we should get back to the others." Sam nods and the two of them walk back into the bathroom.

"I see two individuals with purple tinged breasts, are they sore?"

"More annoyingly itchy Sam but since my hands are tied behind me I cannot find any relief to that."

"I guess it is best if you do not touch it Adastra as it would likely become worse if you did."

"Annoying you are correct Sam. Where did you two go anyway?"

"Ami just wished to have a talk it seems Adastra."

"I thought you were making plans. I guess therefore you already had an idea for us this afternoon Athya?"

"I did. I was thinking of suggesting that you state a time that you think you would need with a vibrator to achieve an orgasm. For each five seconds of that time you were to be hit on both breasts once before being able to take your reward. I am however not quite as enthusiastic about that idea as I was earlier."

"Would you take the rope off us afterwards and we would be free to do as we wish?" Amistathya nods to Seliha. "I think I can agree to that." She looks to Adastra.

"Can we have a drink afterwards first Seliha as I am a little thirsty to be honest." She nods. "Ok Athya it seems we both agree."

"Do I get a stick or is Silana the one to get the stick?"

"I do not have anything Sam so you would likely have to use your hand." Sam seems to think for a moment.

"I will be back in a minute." Sam walks out of the bathroom.

"Silana would you like to play the same game as Adastra and Seliha?"

"Would you let my reward be Sam instead of a vibrator Athya?" She thinks before nodding. "I will then." Sam walks back in waving a plastic thirty centimetre ruler before sitting down in front of Seliha.

"How long do you wish to have Seliha? I believe you can choose any amount of time you wish."

"I will make it simple for you, two minutes." Sam nods before shuffling right to sit in front of Adastra.

"How long does Adastra want?"

"I will go with the same as Seliha Sam as I am not sure whether the pain will help or hinder." He nods before moving right again to sit in front of Silana.

"Same time as Seliha and Adastra or would you like it a little slower?"

"I would like five minutes Sam. I would rather appreciate the moment than rush."

"I understand that. Could you turn so that you right side is towards me." She does so. "If you would kindly keep your arms where they are, your back straight, and please keep the noise to a minimum." She nods before Sam hits her left breast hard with the edge of the ruler causing her to flinch and intake a small gasp. He alternates his target, eventually leaving sixty thin, purple lines across each of her small breasts. "I guess they will be sore for a while. I do apologise Silana." He strokes her folds as she would likely be unappreciative of a hug at the moment.

"I was really not expecting you to use the edge Sam."

"I will use the flat side on you but it will triple the amount Adastra. Are you interested in that offer?"

"Could I have two and a half minutes, thirty hits on the flat side and fifteen on the edge?" Sam looks around to Amistathya who had taken up residence sitting on the worktop by the sink.

"If it is the flat edge first then I feel that is fair." Adastra shuffles around so that she is sideways on to Sam. He lines it up before taking a swing at Adastra's purple and slightly swollen breast. A loud slap followed by a groan. He quickly gets the flat edge hits out of the way after noting Adastra had let a few tears loose. "I bet you are wishing I was a little more reluctant now. I can only guess how much the next ones will hurt as they look very sore."

"They feel as if they are about to burst and set on fire. If you are going to finish off then please do so quickly." Sam nods and gets a cry of pain instead of a groan with each hit. He puts the ruler down after delivering the last and quickly unties her.

"Go and put some of the cooling lubricant on them Adastra." She gets up and Amistathya begins to help her as Sam moves his attention to Seliha. "Are you to take the same as Adastra Seliha?"

"Of course. I am not particularly looking forward to this after how Adastra reacted."

"Neither am I Seliha but I will be quick if you stay still and be as quiet as possible." She nods before turning to receive the same fate as Adastra. Sam's first hit getting a sharp intake of breath and it was not long before she too began to shed a few tears. She does not seem to react more to the worse pain of the ruler's edge as it leaves its deep purple lines behind and it is not long before he has untied her and Adastra is giving her a hug. "I have one thing left to do then before I need a drink at least. Ami, I would like you to remove your dress." The three others watch on as Sam helps Amistathya remove her clothing.

"It does not look too easy to remove."

"It is not Adastra but Ami likes them. How are you feeling now?"

"Very sore but at least the burning heat has gone now which makes it better. Are you feeling any better yet Seliha?"

"The cooling feeling is such a welcome relief. I am so thankful that I packed some in the box."

"So am I." Adastra gives Seliha a short kiss before she breaks off as Sam moves Amistathya's dress to the side of the room.

"Please take a seat with your right side facing me Ami." The two of them take a seat with Amistathya doing as she is asked. "I feel for coming up with such a silly idea that you should have a similar experience. Since you bruise easily and are to get no reward, at least until later then I think ten on each with the flat side should be sufficient." Sam turns around to look at Seliha and Adastra. "Do you think so?"

"Athya only came up with the idea Sam she should not be punished needlessly."

"Ten it is then Adastra." Amistathya times and holds her breath to each hit, the ruler slapping with the impact to each lubricant covered breast. Sam gets the twenty hits completed quickly.

"Thank you Sam."

"I would have given you a hug but you are covered in lubricant. Have a shower and meet us downstairs for a drink." She nods and gets up before going to the shower and turning it on. "Are you three going to join me?" Sam quickly gives up waiting for Adastra and Seliha and so leaves with Silana.

"Why did you thank Sam Athya as he hurt you?"

"Sam has given me a future I can look forward to living. I will be forever indebted to him but actions like this make me feel happier that I am paying him back in some small way. Do go and have a drink and I will be down soon." Seliha and Adastra leave Amistathya in the shower.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I would join in but there is little point in me doing so." Aumarva sits at the side of the small arena area that contained a good number of inflatable obstacles to use for cover or to attack others with.

"We will do something that you can join with after we have finished and had a drink."

"Ok." Aumarva gets off her chair and sits on the floor before taking her rife from her back, placing it on the floor. Over the cacophony of inflatable objects pinging around the small barrier curtained arena and the occasional goading or light insult, she begins to take her rifle apart. It was not too long before she had it laid out in pieces over the floor and was looking at the sputtering of metal around the ammo block where each shot is ablated from the block with a laser.

"You must be very bored Aumarva?" She looks up to see Imphaya, who was watching her get an inflatable crate to the side of her head. She picks it back up with her biotics and throws it back to Hymara.

"I thought it was a good opportunity to have a look at it. It seems I may need to put in a new ammo block shortly as I think I have about a hundred shots left. Do you still have any of your old ones around?"

"You know I like a new block as soon as there is even only a few shots missing so of course." Hymara and Lianta walk over to see why Imphaya was not being fun.

"Was there something wrong with the gun Aumarva?"

"No Lianta but given I am a little limited with biotics I thought it would be preferable to pointless practice. It is not like I can get much better if I am artificially limited to some arbitrary limit."

"I see your point. Is there anything you would like to do while we are here? We do have some time to spare at least."

"I would prefer a little non-biotic close combat training as I have not had the opportunity for a few months. You are all most free to join in if you wish but just remember not to use biotics. Some individuals seem incapable of doing without which would leave them in a difficult situation if they ever had biotic instability for whatever reason."

"I agree." She nods to Lianta before getting back to putting her rifle back together from all the parts. It was about twenty minutes before the four of them eventually left the area.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Why did you choose five minutes Silana as your breasts look almost as sore as ours and we have a skin irritant on ours?"

"I have a little yearning for being bruised in a playful sort of way Adastra. I feel bad for you though Sam as you really did not like doing that did you?"

"Not at all Silana but I would feel much less disappointed if it can be turned into something positive later."

"If you are gentle and do not squeeze too hard while doing as you did on Tuesday then I will be most happy Sam." Sam nods as he sees Amistathya walking down the stairs.

"It must be a servant thing then as I think I would rather hit someone who touched me rather than find any pleasure in it."

"I believe that your bondmate was a servant Adastra." Amistathya jumps on Sam's knee and gives him a hug. "You look ridiculously happy now my sky blue one. You have not put an irritant in my underwear have you?"

"No Sam. I am just so happy that you have finally taken advantage of me given all my past comments and begging. I know the bruises will be a little uncomfortable but in an odd way they are a nice reminder. I understand what Silana said on Wednesday now."

"I feel I should say now as we may want to go back home early. I would like to invite you three plus your security to a meal tomorrow evening. The owners were happiest with us having four, four seat tables in a corner so I hope that you three do not mind dining together."

"You did not need to arrange a meal Seliha."

"I know Adastra but Kate and Fosanta would likely appreciate it as well."

"I know I certainly do Seliha. Could I ask how you are feeling about this afternoon?"

"You as in me, or you as in we Sam? Please do remember that I have two opinions not just one. I would personally like some time with Adastra as I feel a little dragged along at the moment. I have however found both you and Athya a little surprising after our past interactions."

"I need to get used to you being one individual but being two Seliha as it is a bit of an odd concept. You have however shown quite a range of emotion today and seemed generally happier. I am not sure if it something new or a permanent improvement but I recommend that you try to keep it."

"Lamisa was not sure if anything could be permanent with Seliha's expressed personality Sam but I agree. I do like that she has not been too forceful this afternoon and has expressed her feelings." Adastra rubs Seliha's folds in a friendly way.

"Could I ask if the meal tomorrow is at the Impheris restaurant Seliha as I am trying to think of places that only do tables of four?"

"It is. I really want to be served by the cute waitress who always smiles at me."

"I assume that you have been there before then Silana?"

"Yes, once with an owner Athya. We had a waitress who had muddy red markings and purple skin. I have seen a lot of individuals and rarely have I seen muddy red markings."

"You sound like you were a little taken by her Silana?"

"I was a little Sam but since I was with my owner I could hardly ask if she had a bondmate or not. It really did not help that she wore a bikini to serve us either." Sam laughs a little. "I think it would perhaps be a good idea to get any outstanding plans completed as I have a feeling it will not be long until Hymara and Lianta are back."

"A good point. Seliha, Adastra, take your vibrators off the side when we get to the bathroom and spend a little time together. You should be enjoying the moment together not having to wait until you get home."

"I think I may suggest having a shower as well if you do not mind us doing so Sam?"

"You are most welcome to a shower if you wish Seliha." She nods before Adastra and herself go to the bathroom. "Ami, would you go and get a vibrator for yourself while Silana and I go upstairs?" She nods and jumps off Sam's knee to go to the store room as Sam and Silana leaves to go upstairs to the bathroom. The two of them walk through the door to see Adastra and Seliha just getting into the shower.

"I am just hoping this does not end the same way as our first overnight break together." Seliha smiles at Adastra's comment.

"How did that end Adastra?"

"We ended up sleeping in the shower tray Sam."

"Well it cannot end the same way as there is no tray." She nods before looking to Seliha. A smile grows across both of their faces before they touch a vibrator to each others azure and their eyes turn black. Sam goes to sit behind Silana. "I want you to resist having an orgasm for as long as you can. Do you understand?" She nods before Sam begins to softly run a single finger across each of her lined breasts and his tongue up her neck. Sam ignores a gasp from Adastra as Seliha had grabbed hold of her breasts. She reciprocates this along with going in for a kiss as Amistathya walks in. She smiles to herself at Adastra and Seliha moaning before deciding to carefully walk up behind Seliha and reach between her legs to rub her sensitive lips. It was barely a second before Adastra and Seliha collapse onto each other with a long groan. Amistathya seems satisfied enough to walk to the worktop and take a seat on it again.

"Goddess." Adastra takes a deep breath to try and restart her brain as Seliha turns around to see Amistathya with an innocent smile on her face. She jumps off the worktop and kneels down in front of Silana before holding her vibrator on her azure which instantly caused her body to try and curl and tense against Sam's grip. Sam had cupped her breasts to help hold her better which had taken her breath away, Silana's muscles violently spasm before beginning to pant to regain her breath.

"Are you ok Silana as that looked rather violent?"

"I..." She takes a few deep breaths to try and calm herself enough to think.

"I think Silana needs a little time Adastra. I guess you two finished a little while ago?"

"Athya decided to intrude which I really was not expecting and almost made my mind explode. I can understand why you want her as your bondmate if she is like that Sam. I really regret hurting you now Athya as I cannot express my appreciation for what you just did."

"Even I must express my gratitude Athya as it was so unexpected and sudden that my mind just melted through sensation overload. You look a little more with us now Silana."

"I am a little Adastra. I would be entirely inappropriate if I did not express my appreciation for this afternoon Sam. I hope one day to have a bondmate who treats me as well as you do."

"I am sure that you will find someone Silana. Do you two wish to go back home for your evening meal as you are most welcome to stay?"

"I feel that it would be best if we leave Sam."

"Ami, could you get the spare towels out for Adastra and Seliha?" She nods and leaves.

"My breasts are going to be sore for quite some time. The more annoying thing will be I know Seliha's temptation will get the better of her to have a little touch from time to time."

"I am sure you will survive Adastra. If you could at least try not to do so until you get back I would appreciate it." The two of them nod as Amistathya comes back in with two green towels with white stripes which she hands to Adastra and Seliha. "I am guessing that Hymara and Lianta are not back yet then?"

"They are not Sam."

"I know you may dislike me as it may be a little uncomfortable but could you wear a bra please Ami as I would rather you tried to cover the bruising than have a long explanation to Hymara and Lianta?"

"I will go now." Sam nods and she leaves the bathroom.

"Would you like me to get dressed Sam?"

"Either that or you can have a shower before doing so if you wish."

"I think that would be best as it may help revive my muscles a little." Sam laughs a little as Seliha and Adastra pull their trousers and tops on.

"I feel it would be best if we left our bras off Sam so I think we are unfortunately ready to leave."

"I would have given you both a hug but I would rather do so perhaps tomorrow. I will follow you out."

"We will see you tomorrow Silana." She nods from under the shower and Sam, Adastra and Seliha exit the bathroom after collecting their belongings. They walk down the stairs and pack everything into the box on the kitchen table. "We will meet you here tomorrow afternoon before going to the restaurant if that is ok Sam."

"It is Seliha. I hope you enjoyed the afternoon and congratulations to you both as you both now have someone special to call your significant other."

"Or someone special to treat as your own." She puts her arm around Sam and gives him a smile.

"We are not all like you Athya, in some ways fortunately in others unfortunately. I think I say for Seliha that we have enjoyed our time here, thank you for the lunch and the venue for our ritual."

"It really was no problem and you are both most welcome to visit again if you wish. That is if you want sky blue having fun again."

"I have a feeling that may happen Sam. I hope you both sleep well." Sam and Athya nod with a smile as Seliha picks up the box with their things in before they leave.

"Fortunately there is not much to clean up before Hymara and Lianta arrive. How's the bra Ami?"

"Uncomfortable but I understand why want me to wear one. I am sure they will still have some questions though as it does not cover all of the bruising."

"They will. We should tidy up and then make something to eat." Amistathya nods and the two of them go to tidy up the bathroom.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra and Seliha walk into their house to see Kate with Fosanta on the seating downstairs. "I was considering giving you a message shortly to see if you wished to have some food making or not. I guess you have both had a good day?"

"Well Seliha gave me a ritual which was entirely unexpected Fosanta. I also find myself thinking that Sam really has changed since I first met him and Athya is rather surprising."

"Congratulations. I have to ask what ritual you gave to Adastra Seliha as Athya being unexpected is not new news to me." Seliha puts the box on the table as Adastra takes a seat. She takes out the plant and places that on the table before placing the box on the floor. "Oh, that is quite a nice plant."

"It is my favourite Kate as its bright orange flower makes me feel happy. Please do not touch the flower though unless you want some bad skin irritation."

"I was wondering why both of you seemed to have larger breasts."

"It did not help that they were beaten as well Fosanta. Athya certainly made it a memorable afternoon for us both."

"Did she do anything else Seliha as I think Kate does not know quite what to expect from her?"

"It was Sam who actually hit us with a ruler Fosanta. Athya only came from nowhere to push us both over the edge in a meld."

"Sam actually hit you both with a ruler?" Seliha and Adastra nod to Kate. "I know he can sometimes make illogical decisions but that does not sound like him."

"Perhaps not Kate bit I doubt you will hear many complaints from either of us. I felt a strange sensation in the meld with Seliha afterwards. It was almost like the pain made me relax as I could not get away from it. Athya putting her hand between Seliha's legs and gently rubbing sent a flood of numbing pleasure through my body. I cannot remember my mind feeling so entirely useless before."

"I think you are just late to experience that Adastra given your reluctance to have a bondmate for a number of decades."

"Why did no one tell me what I was missing if that is the case Fosanta?"

"I think most individuals would have assumed wrongly that you have had that kind of experience before. It is however good that you have done so now with your chosen bondmate. I must ask if you two would like some food though as I am hungry and no doubt Kate is as well." Kate nods in agreement.

"I certainly would Fosanta." She nods to Seliha and the four of them stand and go to the kitchen, Adastra taking her plant with her which she places on the window ledge near the sink. "It is just you two now."

"I have told Fosanta to take her time Seliha. I mean we have even spoken about Fosanta conceiving a daughter before undertaking a ritual."

"Also Yaira Adastra?"

"I like the name Fosanta, it sounds like a name a pleasant individual would have. Of course Seliha will have the choice of name first as she will mother the first daughter. I guess that you have one you would like Fosanta?"

"Aphisa but I am torn now with Kate's suggestion of Helayna as that sounds quite nice as well. Do you have any preferences Seliha?"

"Enahna is my preferred name Fosanta but we have no real rush for a daughter yet."

"Neither of you know what Sam and Athya's choices are do you?"

"No, but knowing Athya it will likely be a last minute decision Kate. She may never have been in a position to consider a daughter before and not even thought about it."

"You make a good point Adastra."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Hello you two. Did you have a good day?"

"We were quite a bit better than last time Sam but Aumarva is rather good at throwing knives which surprised us a little."

"An admirable skill for close combat if you do not have that fancy biotic ability Hymara."

"You make it sounds like you have tried it before Sam?"

"Definitely not Hymara, my hand-eye co-ordination is so bad I would probably be more likely to kill myself than anything else. I can only just throw a ball in roughly the right general direction."

"I was going to ask why you were wearing a bra Athya but the reason is evident."

"Lianta, we had a good afternoon. I think both Seliha and Adastra went away happy and it was certainly different. Did you enjoy it as well Silana?"

"I must say to you both that I have not been told to say this but it was a remarkably good afternoon. I hope I do not get punished for saying this but, while Sam and Athya did not behave it was hardly their fault." The two of them look to Sam.

"When Seliha gives Adastra a ritual that I knew nothing about it changes things a little."

"We will not ask Sam."

"It was the Sansi plant if you wished to know. Also Seliha has invited us all to go to the Impheris restaurant for a meal tomorrow evening."

"Should we ask how Seliha was?"

"Generally friendly Lianta. I doubt she will ever be the most comfortable individual to be around but she was quite different to how she was when we still lived at the house. I am surprised you made no mention to the invite as it was Seliha who made the arrangements."

"It is to be expected really Sam as it is a celebration after all."

"You do have a point. Would you both like some food now or later?"

"Now would be fine Sam since you have made it." He nods as Silana gets five plates out of the cupboard.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Before everyone finishes I must invite you both to a meal tomorrow evening."

"I assume to celebrate Seliha?"

"Yes. I wanted to involve you all if I could. I do hope that you can join us and you had no other plans."

"I believe we were supposed to have other plans this evening but we did not expect you back so soon. I am sure Fosanta will be ok with the meal tomorrow evening instead."

"I will Kate. I appreciate the invite Seliha. Are Sam, Amistathya and Silana to come along as well?"

"They are Fosanta. I hope neither of you mind but the irritation is annoying." Adastra pulls her top off. "That feels a little better."

"I was not expecting them to look quite so purple Adastra."

"They are not too sore unless someone squeezes them Fosanta but my top was just making them prickle a little and it was annoying me. You look a little unsure Kate."

"Well you said Sam hurt you and I thought he was quite a gentle and friendly individual. It is just a bit of a surprise to hear that to be honest and now I can see what happened it has made me question a few things."

"Please do not doubt Sam Kate as he gave us ample opportunity to say no. Seliha and I already had a burning soreness from the ritual so it was not bad. Silana seems to have a strange liking for being bruised, quite why anyone would wish to be deliberately bruised I do not know and Athya has been begging Sam to take advantage of her. We all seemed happy afterwards with Athya seemingly even happier to be around Sam than usual, she was almost bouncing around the room."

"I hope Athya did lie and put itching powder in Sam's underwear."

"You all sound a little insane to me."

"It was meant to be a daft day so that it is memorable Kate. I would hate to look back in a century's time and be unable to remember today. It would be insulting to Seliha and rather embarrassing to me if that happened."

"I do agree with you Adastra. I am sure you could ask Sam questions tomorrow if you wished Kate."

"I will see Fosanta as it does not sound like anyone was harmed. I also understand that Athya's past may have changed him a little as it certainly did not sound pleasant. How about we have a little time sat upstairs later?" Fosanta nods with a smile. "What are you two planning to do?"

"Perhaps a shower and an early night Kate. I feel Adastra may not be happy with any more fun until tomorrow."

"I would like that Seliha as I think we have a spare morning tomorrow to ourselves. We should however tidy away the plates before everything dries on them." Everyone seems to agree given they all get up and moved their cutlery and plates to the sink to be rinsed.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Amistathya walks into their bedroom with a datapad in hand to see Sam sitting on the bed. She locks the door before talking a seat next to Sam. "You do not look as happy as usual."

"I have a lot on this datapad Sam. I am frightened."

"I will treat it with care Ami." She gives Sam a short smile as she hands it to him. He notes that she has used one file per day and so looks for one a long time ago with a large size before opening it.

_Monday 25th March 1850_

_I really wish mother would accept me back but she says that she needs time to work things out. I do not think she understands where I am. Anpic Logistics, the only ones who would accept me. I feel so undervalued already and yet this was my first day. I am however glad that they allowed me to keep this pad with me even if it is freezing cold and I am all alone. Why could I not just have controlled my temper thirty four and a half years ago? I would not be in this situation if I had an education... Someone is here._

_It seems I have someone to share this tiny room with. I have copied in our initial conversation below._

_I am Athya. I am a little afraid but I am new and do not know what is happening._

_I am Aphrina and have been here a while. It is good to meet you Athya as I was getting a little lonely and cold being in this room on my own at night. I am most surprised that you have not had this taken away from you._

_They took a little pity on me it seems after making me wish I was never born this morning. I feel they are not going to treat me well given I have broken a contract previously but this is the best of a bad situation at the moment._

_They make everyone feel worthless Athya. I guess we are all here for the same reason but under differing circumstances. I sat on the verge of servitude for a while before it eventually swallowed me._

_You could say that the goddess has not looked kindly upon me Aphrina. That, a couple of bad decisions and effective isolation of my family has lead me here. I hope you do not mind if I ask you not to remove my top or gloves._

_I am confused Athya._

_I am a little afraid of saying in case you make my life worse than it already is._

_You are a very welcome sight to me Athya and I am in the same situation as you._

_I hate doing this but I feel like I am worthless anyway so what is the point. I have natural markings on my hands, arms, legs and feet Aphrina. Please do not bully me about it._

_Would you let me look? Oh. I can see now why our owners may have made you wish you were not born Athya. Would you mind if we slept close to each other to keep ourselves warm?_

_I just wish to finish today's entry._

_Aphrina seems like a pleasant individual but I really wish I was not here. My mind floats through hopes and ambitions and yet all it does is tears at my heart. I should sleep though._

"Well that was a different side I have not seen of you Ami. You seemed to trust Aphrina with less hesitancy than you typically do of others now."

"I would likely have been better still had I not felt so ashamed of my marked body after that morning. Aphrina was rather pleasant towards me and we seemed to get on quite well together."

"Should I ask if you showed your appreciation to her as well?"

"I did. She would have made a good bondmate for someone were she not a servant. That does not sound grammatically correct."

"Pfft. I get what you mean Ami. Do you feel less frightened now?"

"I am sure I make it worse for myself but you are not an easy individual to predict how you will react to something Sam. This makes me happy when I am right but really frightens me if I have doubts. I did not know how you would react to reading the datapad."

"Ami, I expected to end up reading about Omega and that anxiety made me feel a little ill, but fortunately it was not Omega so it was not as bad as I had feared. I know that it was probably a very small room that was unheated and you were unable to talk to Aphrina but it was quite a positive entry."

"We had no bed or sheets to sleep with either Sam. After the first night we agreed to curl up on one of our tops together and lay the other clothing over us to help keep us warm. It was quite a bit warmer which was appreciated as I am sure our room adjoined the refrigeration storage for the freight."

"I guess they just thought it was an adequate space and put you there. Would you like to have any fun or just go to sleep? I am sure we can do something in the morning if you wished."

"I am happy with whatever you are Sam."

"Ok then, a morning on the sofa wrapped in a duvet sounds like a good idea to me. Sleep is the best option first." Amistathya nods before she puts her datapad on her bedside table. The two of them get into the bed before turning out the light.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I hope you remember what tomorrow is Fosanta."

"Saturday." Kate sighs with a smile as she gets into bed. "I remember Kate and I hope that you are not too mean."

"I was thinking of doing some shopping to be honest as I would prefer to wear something a little nicer for a celebratory meal."

"Well we do have a free morning at least and I am sure Adastra and Seliha would probably prefer to have the house to themselves again. I think that sounds like a good idea."

"I hope you sleep well."

"You too Kate." She smiles to Fosanta who does likewise before turning off the light.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Today has felt like such a long day but when I woke up this morning I never would have guessed what was to happen. Thank you again for getting the Sansi Seliha."

"I thought I would be so happy this evening but while I have had a good day all I can think about is how awful I have been to everyone."

"What has changed your mood to feel depressed Seliha?"

"I do not know." Adastra gives her a kiss.

"I think you could do with getting some sleep Seliha as you seem tired." She nods and follows Adastra out of the bathroom to their bed. "I hope you sleep well and again I feel honoured to have a marked Asari as a bondmate."

"I have tried to show that I feel the same Adastra. I do hope you feel happy and sleep well."

"I am and thank you again." Seliha nods with a slight smile and Adastra turns off the light. She had just settled when Seliha gives her breasts a squeeze causing Adastra to gasp a little. "Could you at least warn me before you do that Seliha?"

"I really am sorry Adastra. I know you said not to but I could not stop myself."

"You sound worse than Sam was and I said he was reluctant. I honestly do not mind Seliha but if you could keep the unexpected surprises to a minimum I would be appreciative." Seliha puts her arms around Adastra and drags her over to her side of the bed before giving her a short kiss. The two of them forgo words in the darkness and quickly settle into sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**My apologies to you all for the ridiculous lateness of this chapter. I decided to rewrite it entirely just before posting as the previous iteration was rubbish. ****I am not sure that this version is perfect but it is far better. ****The same issue may happen from time to time if I do not like a chapter for some reason. I hope to get Chapter 56 posted between Wednesday the 30th January and Saturday the 2nd of February but it depends how quickly it comes together.**

**I hope you all enjoy the chapter and a review would be appreciated if you have a moment of time. I hope the next chapter will be done quickly and I highly appreciate the patience from you all.**


	56. Chapter 56 : Re-Celebration Weekend Pt1

**Chapter 56 - Re-Celebration Weekend Pt.1**

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday 25th February 2017<strong>

Adastra and Seliha walk into the kitchen to find Fosanta and Kate already having breakfast. "How are you both this morning?"

"I think we are both well." Kate nods in agreement, her full mouth limiting options for speech at that very moment.

"I am glad to hear that. Do either of you have any plans for the morning as I seem to not have much planned?"

"I was intending to go shopping for a dress this morning Adastra as I have very little that is nice to wear. I think Fosanta is going to come with me as well." She nods with a smile.

"I think we will just be going in our normal clothes Kate. I could wear the dress Sam got for me but then I would make my bondmate look underdressed which is hardly considerate."

"Please do wear it Adastra as it would be a waste not to use it. Would you two mind if I joined you to find something?"

"Of course you can join us Seliha."

"Would any of you complain if I went to Sam's apartment instead of shopping? I would go with you Seliha but I would be rather grateful of a pleasant surprise."

"I would be careful what you wish for Adastra. If you do not do anything silly with Sam and Athya then I will meet you there."

"You can trust me Seliha."

"We are just waiting for you now Seliha. I would rather not spend all day looking for something."

"I have a little advantage in that case then Kate as I have an idea what I may get. I will however not be too long to have my breakfast."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam gets awoken with Ami climbing on him and giving him a kiss. "What are you trying to make up for now Ami?"

"Am I being prevented from having any intimacy with you now just because of my past actions?"

"No Ami but perhaps you should have thought about my paranoia a little more. I did however think that I said we should have a quiet morning which is not exactly helping the feeling of something not being right."

"I only wanted to say thank you for yesterday really. Also I was wondering if I would be allowed to do something on your computer this morning."

"You remind me a little of a certain character from a game so I will give you a challenge. You have until we need to leave this afternoon to finish said game. I know how to complete it and so I know it only takes two hours to complete if you know how to solve the puzzles. Do you accept?"

"Will you sit next to me and give me some help?"

"Of course but you are not exactly letting me get up." Amistathya stays put so Sam decides to tickle her a little which soon makes her move much to his amusement. "It seems someone is ticklish. I must remember that."

"That was mean Sam."

"Saying that with a smile is not going to work. Come on, we should get some breakfast." The two of them get out of the bed and begin to get dressed.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"What are you two to do today while Ami plays a little game."

"Is that game something we should not know about?"

"It may not be the best for everyone's sanity but it is harmless Lianta. I just thought that Ami and the main character you interact with are likely to have some common ground. I would however hate to spoil anything as the comments are rather amusing at times. Would you like to help Ami Silana? It is only solving puzzles so there is room for someone else to give opinions."

"What kind of puzzles Sam?"

"It is not particularly simple to describe but they are essentially spatial manipulation ones. I am sure you would get the idea once you saw it."

"I may watch and offer some help when I can if I can."

"I am sure Ami will appreciate the help as I will try to stay quiet. I am not quite sure how successful I will be just to make your joke before you do Hymara."

"I assume there is a language restriction to understand it?"

"There is for it to be a little more than a series of puzzles but it is not essential Lianta. Even someone entirely new to the game could probably play it with the sound turned off. It would just be a little dull and perhaps frustrating at times but I think it would be possible. I am not sure even Ami and Silana will understand all of the comments and jokes but I will try to be helpful."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"What are you to get Seliha if you already know?" Kate commenting as Fosanta flies a fairly full shuttle towards Nos Astra.

"I have no idea at all Kate. I was joking to make Adastra a little excited. You two have it easy in that you can pick almost anything."

"Actually my choice is annoyingly limited Seliha as I am not quite a standard Asari size. I bet Sam finds it annoying given he is relatively tall."

"You should ask him Kate but I am not sure he has actually got anything yet for himself. We have not seen any signs that he has at least."

"You are possibly correct Selayla. We should be arriving in a minute then we can look at what there is." Fosanta does not hear a reply from behind, rather an expectant lull as they all wait for the shuttle to land.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Hymara opens the apartment door to see Adastra, Aumarva and Imphaya waiting outside. "Do come in." The three of them do so. "I heard that Seliha gave you a ritual yesterday Adastra."

"She did Hymara which was an unexpected surprise. I got my favourite flower for the kitchen window and had a memorable day as well so I am rather happy at the moment."

"Both Lianta and I have heard that Sam and Athya helped a little."

"They did. I must thank Sam for making my breasts feel numb this morning as well. Do you know where I would find him?"

"They are all in the room on your left." Lianta points and after giving her a nod Adastra makes her way to the room.

"So Adastra and Seliha are bondmates?"

"I am surprised that Adastra did not tell you Imphaya. I would however get used to the fact that you have twice as much work to do now though."

"They were close enough to each other before that we had to practically treat them as bondmates. This will not change all that much."

"Would you two like a drink?" Imphaya and Aumarva nod to Hymara who goes to the kitchen.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra walks into the room to see three individuals on two chairs seemingly enthralled by something on the screen. "Good morning you three." Sam and Silana look around leaving Amistathya to concentrate on the game.

"Hello Adastra, is Seliha here as well?"

"No she went with Kate and Fosanta to find something to wear this evening Sam. What is it you three are doing?"

"I am trying to play Portal Adastra. It looks basic but is actually quite difficult." Adastra walks and stands behind the two chairs and watches on as Ami gets killed by an unexpected high energy pellet. "Errr."

"Does this game not have a difficulty setting?"

"There is not Adastra and the next puzzle if I remember correctly is part of a military test exercise for robots or something similar to that."

"Those things bounce off the walls a few times before dying so maybe you can bounce them off the angled panels." Ami looks to Sam.

"The worst that could happen is that you have to restart again Ami." She nods and begins to work out how to use the angled panels to help. "Bring a chair over here and have a seat if you wish Adastra. The next three puzzles are good ones." As Sam says that he sees that Ami has managed to succeed. "You can do the puzzles if you think about them. The next one is good but I will let GLaDOS explain why."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Have you found anything yet Kate?" Seliha having a look over Kate's shoulder startling her a little.

"Errm... Potentially. I am just contemplating how confident I am as to whether orange is a suitable colour or not. Have you found anything yet?"

"Perhaps. I am not sure yet about slate grey and purple as I feel it could be a little dark. Orange is not though, what is the design like?"

"It does have a small white pattern in it but I am not sure that you would like Seliha it as it only goes to just above the knee. I think it would be a good choice for myself however."

"Do I hear that someone may have made a decision?"

"I think I may Fosanta but it is a little bright. It should at least fit me though. Have you found something?"

"I have, blue and silver. I like it as the blue matches my skin colour so it has a nice elegant look. Have you decided on something Seliha?"

"I have found something with an appropriate design but it is in slate grey and purple."

"If it is a dark slate grey then I think it will work for you Seliha. Ask Selayla if you wish as she seems surprisingly knowledgeable."

"I may do that while you two obtain your choices." Fosanta nods as Seliha goes to find Selayla.

"I hope a shorter dress is not inappropriate for a meal as that is the only one I can really find."

"It may get you a little interest from others but it would not be inappropriate in any way Kate."

"Good. I may just have to find something for my feet though since they will be uncovered. I do not think I have anything that will work with an orange dress."

"I think we have plenty of time to look for shoes. I think that you should be able to find something that fits you as your feet seem to be a similar size as mine."

"Well at least it sounds like there is one thing I may not have too much difficulty with." Fosanta laughs a little. "I think we should get our choices." Fosanta nods and the two of them leave the viewing area to go to the sales counter.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I could do with putting my dress on after we have eaten before Seliha arrives."

"You can choose between the bathroom and the second room on the left upstairs Adastra. I think Ami has had enough of portal for the day so we will leave the last half hour or so for another day."

"Portal?" Aumarva trying her best to pronounce the unknown word but not quite managing to do so.

"It is the name of a puzzle game Aumarva. It actually has a rather decent story behind it but it would take too long for me to explain it at the moment." She nods to Sam.

"How are you Adastra after yesterday as we hear that Seliha gave you a ritual?"

"I feel happy Imphaya. My breasts are still a little numb but I did enjoy myself. Thank you for that Sam."

"Why am I getting positive comments from you all, especially from you as well Adastra?"

"It was meant as a little joke Sam but I was also not expecting you to be the individual who did so. It seems you have changed since moving from us."

"I hope that is a good change Adastra otherwise I will need to find some help."

"I cannot see any reason to complain Sam. Kate seemed surprised at least so I would expect her to perhaps ask you a few questions."

"I am beginning to expect no less from Kate Adastra. I will clear up the problem quickly as I do not want it lingering and ruining the day."

"What do you mean by you were not expecting Sam to be the individual who did so Adastra?"

"I really struggled to encourage Sam to have any kind of personal interaction in the past Imphaya. Do you find Sam difficult to encourage Athya?" She shakes her head with a smile. "Could I ask why then Athya as that is a question which confuses me?"

"It is not just you who would like to know that Adastra."

"Ok. I must step in here and say my little part. I do as Ami asks on the whole because she knows how to ask me. I cannot really elaborate on that but it is an accurate description. Adastra, I like you more than just a normal friend and that makes me extra nervous about how to treat you, especially so with Seliha around. If you told me what you really liked before next time then I would maybe feel happier."

"I... I will do that Sam."

"This is making me feel awkward but at least I am being honest. I believe you said that you were to get changed before Seliha arrived?"

"I did. I will be back shortly." Adastra gets up from the table and takes her bag that she brought upstairs.

"Why did you not choose Adastra if you feel that way Sam?"

"I feel I am similar to Adastra. I assume she feels more like a sister in a way than a bondmate to me Aumarva. Ami is nowhere close to me but yet still brightens up my day. Speaking of brightening up I think you could also do with getting changed Ami."

"I will be back in a bit." She gets up from the table next to Sam and goes upstairs.

"Are there any other difficult questions for me to answer or should we go and wait on the sofas?" The six of them get up from the table and help clear the table before going to sit down. "I think it will be just you and I Silana who are not wearing something elaborate this afternoon."

"I could wear the dress that I inherited off Athya last weekend if you wished me to appear better presented Sam."

"I did like that dress on you but I think that you would appreciate not wearing it this evening." Sam hears someone coming down the stairs. "I must say that you look almost like a different individual in a dress Adastra."

"You had evidently spent a good amount of time making careful mental notes of my markings Sam. I do feel strange in a dress however and not quite comfortable with a skirt but I am sure Seliha will approve."

"I am sure that she will Adastra. I am curious as to where you got the dress from though?"

"Sam gave it to me for my birthday Imphaya. I believe you got it from Armali, Thessia?"

"I did. Something else I brought back from Armali, Thessia..." Sam laughs as Amistathya comes down the stairs in her blue and yellow dress with a smile on her face. "I like that one Ami as it is quite bright and cheerful."

"Adastra's dress is cheerful and so I thought I would choose something similar so I did not look out of place." She takes a seat on Sam's knee as the door chime goes.

"I will get the door." Silana goes and opens the door. "Hello everyone. I have heard that you have all been shopping."

"We have Silana. Hello Sam, I hear that you and Athya helped Adastra and Seliha yesterday."

"It was a ruler and you should see Silana's breasts if you think Adastra and Seliha had it difficult Kate." Kate looks a little surprised as to the speed and openness of the response. "I was just getting everything out into the open before I have five million questions Kate."

"Adastra and Seliha seemed happy enough when they arrived back Sam. I think Kate just thought that it did not sound like you to do so."

"I am in a situation where the only thing I can do is change Fosanta. The one on my knee hardly helps in that regard."

"I can only imagine. Do you have somewhere a little more private for Kate and I to change Sam?"

"You can either use the bathroom which is first on the left upstairs or the spare bedroom which is the second on the left Fosanta."

"We can share the bedroom Kate." She nods and follows Fosanta up the stairs, bags in hand.

"I really do like that dress of yours Adastra as the colours are bright and the fabric feels very soft." Seliha speaking with a smile as she runs her hand down Adastra's body.

"I do like it even though it feels weird to wear one after so many years."

"I hope you like the one that I got this morning Adastra."

"Did you not have a dress while you lived on Thessia Seliha?" She turns around to look at Selayla who was stood with Kalawa instead of bringing a chair from the table.

"I became aware that I was wearing certain items more often than others Selayla. Since Armali prevented me from wearing a skirt around machinery then it became impractical to wear a dress and so they went to a new home. What I had in the apartment was what I brought to Illium and that is why I needed a pallet Sam."

"That seems logical to me. I assume that Kate and Fosanta have locked the bedroom door but the bathroom should be free if you need a little privacy Seliha."

"Please do go and get changed Seliha as I am eager to know what you have got." She smiles before going upstairs with her bag. "I assume that one of you knows what Seliha got, do you think I will like it?"

"I would recommend a little patience Adastra. I am sure that Seliha is also keen to show you."

"She may not be if she is unsure if I will like it Kalawa." Adastra turns around when she hears movement upstairs only to see Kate and Fosanta emerge from the bedroom. "Someone likes to make a bold statement. I cannot see you getting lost at least Kate."

"I doubt it as well but it was either this or black which was not really an option Adastra."

"I was going to make a comment of did it come with a volume control as it needs turning down but the brightness goes well with your hair. Also the light brown shoes work well."

"I fortunately can find shoes easily so I had choice. I was a little conscious that the colour of the dress may be a little bright but I was limited with options. I am still struggling to comprehend quite how well Fosanta's dress suits her, a simple design but it makes her look even more attractive."

"I think you all look great to be entirely honest Kate. It is a pity that Silana does not really have a suitable dress and I do not have anything a bit different to wear."

"I am sure that you could have gone shopping with us this morning Sam."

"What do you think I could have got Kate. I do not have breasts in the obvious sense and less rounded shoulders so the majority of tops would not look right. I need testicle space in trousers along with a change in design as my hips are not as wide and above all of that I am generally taller than most Asari so everything is likely to be too short. I can not really wear anything from the other species and therefore I am a little limited."

"You could wear a skirt Sam and I am sure you could find a t-shirt or another design that is fairly loose fitting that you could wear." Kate laughs at Selayla's suggestion.

"I will certainly consider that suggestion Selayla. What I do not understand is why it was so funny Kate."

"You would look ridiculous in a skirt Sam."

"Perhaps but at least I would feel cooler than wearing trousers. I would also prefer to look ridiculous than provoke the law any more than I already do by having to walk around naked from a lack of clothing. I am sure I will get a comment in a moment saying it would probably be ok on Thessia but we are not on Thessia."

"You are correct Sam but in tourist areas and in the major cities it is discouraged. There are also some issues with intimate contact but most sensible individuals understand the reason for that."

"That is at least helpful to know Swathana. Do any of you know anyone who I could at least speak to for some advice and perhaps to get some clothing made?"

"I have a friend who will likely be more than happy to help you Sam. She is in Serrice and her name is Enavana. I will give you her contact details in a moment." Fosanta gets out her Omni-tool.

"I appreciate that Fosanta but I see one very interesting looking Asari behind you." Adastra quickly turns around to see Seliha walking down the stairs in her dark slate grey and muted purple dress. "I must say that a dark dress adds a certain mystery to you Seliha."

"I was most worried about whether Adastra would like it or not Sam. I think the smile is a positive indicator."

"I would say that you look wonderful Seliha but I think you would underappreciate how much I mean that." The two of them share a short kiss and a hug. "Since we are all ready and my beautiful bondmate is beside me I think we should consider leaving." Everyone gets up off their seats and begin to make their way to the two shuttles ready to go into the centre of Nos Astra.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"It is rather out of the way for a restaurant." Kate conveying a tone of curiosity more than boredom.

"It is a little Kate but it will be worth the walk. Seliha and I came here when you were Sam's servant and had a wonderful time."

"Do you like this restaurant then Seliha?"

"I do Fosanta as it is unique, has nice food and you get a very pleasant service. I think you will be able to appreciate it as well." Fosanta nods to Seliha as they keep walking through the side streets of Nos Astra. It is only a few minutes more until they see the very presentable building in front of them.

"I guess the non weather marked building is the one we are going to?" Seliha nods to Kate. It is only a minute more before the fifteen of them make their way through the front door into the entrance hall. It seemed to be mostly made from polished concrete with a stone tile looking floor but was well presented and certainly inviting.

"It is a pleasure to either see you all for the first time or meet you again, whichever is appropriate. Welcome to Impheris. Please follow me to your tables." They all walk into a large dining hall, a large glass ceiling held aloft by white pillars made from a spiralled metal. A number of plants were dotted around to give privacy to blocks of tables and add a splash of colour. They all follow the greeter to a large semi circular annex to the main hall with four tables in. The entirety of the semi circle was glass and provided a warm glow from the late afternoon sun over all of the tables. "Please arrange yourselves as you wish and your waitresses will be with you shortly." The commandos take the first two tables nearest the hall leaving the two nearest the windows for everyone else.

"Ok I see with that view why you said it will be worth the walk Seliha." Kate looking out of the window at a towering cityscape which was back-dropped in a cloudless blue sky.

"That is only one part of the experience Kate." Adastra looks to the dining hall to see Seliha's very elegant friend in a blue and white dress approaching. "I think you may be lucky this time Seliha." She looks around and gets a smile from the approaching Asari.

"It is a most exciting pleasure to meet you all today. I am Themara. I am, unless they decline, allocated to Seliha's table this early evening." She takes a handful of steps closer to their table. "Pardon my slight nervousness this evening as rarely do we have so many well known individuals at once."

"Just treat us as you would anyone else Themara."

"I would Fosanta but Seliha is rather well known here after Ayinta, the owner of this establishment, got bored of her saying she could work here. She offered Seliha a free meal if she would strip to prove that she was unique. I have rarely heard the hall as quiet as it was that afternoon; I could even hear the wind blowing over the roof."

"That explains how we practically walked to the front of the queue last time we came." Seliha gives Adastra a smile.

"I must, however much I like reciting stories of the past, ask if you would like any drinks while you choose your meals from the following menus." Themara hands out the four menus as they all discuss if they wish to order a drink now or not.

"I think we are all fine for the moment."

"No problem at all. I will be back in a few minutes to take your order." Themara turns and quietly walks away with a slight smile on her face.

"Themara, I must remember her name as I have seen her many times but never had the opportunity to talk."

"Perhaps she was just taken by your clothing choice today Seliha."

"Maybe Fosanta but the smile I generally receive from her each time I visit does make it seem a very friendly place. It may be half of the reason that I like coming here." Fosanta nods before helping Kate with questions on menu items.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Being last is nice for a change as long as they are not too long." Sam noting that the commandos had just had their waitresses visit them.

"I perhaps do not have quite the same perspective as you do Sam." He smiles at Silana's comment as a dark blue Asari approaches. She had red markings on her face and immediately caught Amistathya's eye.

"My upmost apologies to keep you three waiting. I am Aphrina and I would most like to be your waitress this evening."

"Can I ask if you were a logistics handling servant about a hundred and thirty years ago? I only ask as there was someone there who had very similar markings to you and the same name."

"I was Athya. I was almost convinced it was you who was with Sam but I was confused with you being called Amistathya."

"She seems to prefer Athya among friends Aphrina. It is good to meet you anyway and I hope Ami was not too much of a problem for you in the past."

"I had not met someone who could be such a tease while saying nothing and not melding before Sam. I however felt a deep loss when you left Athya."

"I have a proposal Aphrina as this is not the best place to talk really. If you say what days you are free and what times you are then I can probably make myself, Ami and Silana available for you to talk to at our apartment."

"I am free tomorrow afternoon or any time on Monday Sam." She says after a slight pause to hand out the menus.

"Tomorrow afternoon would be the best for us in that case Aphrina. I will give you the details on where to go later."

"I can do that Sam and I very much appreciate the invitation. Would any of you like a drink while you choose your meals?"

"I think we are all fine at the moment Aphrina."

"I will be back shortly to hear your decisions in that case." The three of them nod and Aphrina gives a warm smile before making herself scarce.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Themara, I know it is a silly question but why do you seem fond of Seliha?"

"I would rather not say Kate." A slight awkwardness to her voice. "It is however only a friendliness as I already have a bondmate and three daughters."

"Is the free meal offer still valid?"

"It is not Seliha but you are welcome to strip if you wish. I do feel it would be a little disappointing since you are wearing a lovely dress. I however hope that you all enjoy your meal." The four of them nod and Themara leaves. Seliha gets up from her seat.

"Going somewhere Seliha?"

"I just wish to have a short talk to the others." Fosanta nods and Seliha goes to sit on the spare seat next to Silana.

"Are you enjoying your evening Seliha?"

"I finally, after many years of coming here, got the cute waitress so yes." Sam laughs. "We had your waitress last time and while she was nice she is a bit normal."

"She has tattoos Seliha." Seliha seems to be a little thrown by the definitiveness of that statement.

"How would you know Athya?"

"I have touched and probably licked nearly every part of her body."

"I will bring your meal in a minute Silana." Aphrina puts down Sam and Amistathya's meals before leaving with a smile and a slight purple tinge to her cheeks from overhearing Amistathya's comment.

"You have made me curious as to what she looks like now. I should however eat my meal before it goes cold." Seliha gets up and moves back to her seat.

"Adastra was just talking about the Nos Xanthi ship race Seliha as it is supposedly the first of the year."

"That is the Illium desert one if I remember right."

"It is the class three lightweight Illium desert race Seliha. I was lucky to get to go to the last race of the year nearly three centuries ago with the University of Serrice. That race is run over the Aphris Sea on Thessia and is a nice one to watch. I only really got to go as my instructor was competing. I am not sure whether she still does."

"Which class did she fly Adastra?"

"Class three lightweight Fosanta. It is the only one I really like as it is more interesting that the interplanet class four racing and class two is similar to skycar racing but without the crashes. I admit that the re-entries in class four racing are quite remarkable but they get a little boring."

"Is this something that is popular?" Kate wondering if it is similar to motorcycle racing.

"It is much less popular than skycar racing Kate as there is only one ship flying at once but I like it better as skycars are not difficult to use. The class three lightweight are in my opinion the pinnacle of the sport as the ships are remarkable pieces of precision engineering. Lightweight is not strictly true as the rules stipulate an energy limit which is generally the limit before the mass is. Class three normal has a larger energy limit but the mass cannot be lower than the top end of the lightweight class."

"I would have preferred to know how the race was made than all the technicalities Adastra."

"Sorry Kate. The course is always a point-to-point route and it is the fastest to do the eight rounds. Each ship does one full course in each round of which there are four each day. The split day allows changes and simple repairs to be made to the ship. There is only one ship on the course at once and it is changed slightly in each round. The course has gates which are arranged at various heights and positions which the ships need to pass through. There are generally forty gates in total and they generally take about three minutes on average to complete. Yellow gates are to be taken in a pre-determined forward direction and the red in the opposing direction. They must be travelled through in number order. Hitting the edge of a gate is three seconds added to your time and missing one is thirty."

"That sounds rather difficult."

"I have seen ships hulls crumple in turns and set on fire Kate. I am sure Adastra has also seen others as well."

"I saw one ship where the wing broke under an extreme shear force and then spun rapidly into the sea. The Turian had a silly design of ship though which caused the problem. He was fine though Kate."

"So all species compete?"

"Yes as it is much better balanced than you may think. Turian designs generally have a high speed but take time to get there. Asari designs are efficient but not particularly special in any particular area. Salarian designs I have seen perform turns which would fold most other hulls but their acceleration and speed are generally poor. On more open courses Turian designs are favoured, on smaller courses Salarian designs."

"I think I understand." Adastra gives Kate a smile who goes back to eating.

"Have you never at least flown one of those ships Adastra as you seem like you would be interested."

"I have not. I still think flying the Destiny Ascension would be my biggest dream Seliha but the one I would be most overjoyed about would be flying in a class three lightweight ship race. The limit is very much if you can find a company who will produce the ship and provide upgrades and maintenance. Cyone Astro-Engineering is the largest Asari group and they take ex-military pilots for their team. My old instructor was a private entry with the University of Serrice providing the funding."

"Your instructor was Matriarch Kaphira Adastra?" Imphaya obviously listening in on the conversation from the other table.

"She was just Kaphira Phianus when she was teaching me to fly Imphaya. I assume you know of her?"

"She is the lead technical engineer for the Cyone Astro-Engineering team now. Or at least she was last year. There have been some rumours of her retiring from her role but they were second behind the new Salarian team, Yalon Ship Group, so I doubt they will want her to leave." Adastra gives Imphaya a nod of thanks.

"So is this a team or an individual sport?"

"Individual Kate but it is a matter of pride for teams and their manufacturing companies."

"I think someone is waiting for me to ask if they wish to go and watch."

"You mean physically go as I was just going to watch it on the console?" Seliha nods. "I would really like that. Do you two wish to come along?"

"I think Fosanta and I would like a quieter evening Adastra. I am sure I will hear all about it in the morning."

"You probably will. I must ask the other three." Adastra gets up off her chair and goes to sit down next to Silana.

"We seem to be having a lot of invaders to our table this evening. What brings you here Adastra?"

"Seliha and I are going to go and watch some ship racing in the Nos Xanthi desert this evening and wondered if you would like to come along."

"I really would like to Adastra but tonight I could do with sending a message to Enavana and Ami really needs to send a message to the media department about the event video things. Would there be a chance again or is this the only opportunity?"

"It is a two day event so you could always go tomorrow if you wished."

"I could do that after Aphrina has left Adastra. It would certainly be more convenient for me and it also allows you two to do something together without us all following."

"I will see what I can organise for tomorrow night then Sam." He nods before Adastra gets up and goes back to her table. "Just us two tonight Seliha but Sam said he may go tomorrow to watch the second day." She nods as the stuffs the last of her dessert in her mouth.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"My daughters will never believe I served Adastra, Seliha, Kate and Fosanta tonight when I get back."

"I never thought I would ever see Athya again to be honest. I am very much looking forward to meeting them again tomorrow."

"You got an invite to meet again?" Aphrina nods. "You are so lucky at times."

"It is only because I used to sleep with Athya for forty years or so. It was not a good time of my life hence why I have not mentioned it before."

"I do not believe you."

"That is your choice Themara. I must however finish off before leaving as Solpha will be unimpressed with me if I am late." Aphrina leaves Themara looking out of the window at the fifteen individuals walking away.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Enavana was working late on a Saturday evening as she generally preferred to do in her narrow but long shop in one of Serrice's popular shopping areas. She, after finishing messaging a client looks to her inbox to see a new message from Sam which she eagerly opens.

_Enavana,_

_I understand that you may know of me and Fosanta gave me your contact details as I have an interesting problem relating to clothing. I am under the assumption that you will be delighted to have a challenge and I hope you do not find this one too difficult. I have added a silly image and a plenty of measurements that you may need to this message and as you may see I am not very Asari like. I was wondering if you would provide some answers as to what you think you could do that would be best for me._

_I look forward to hearing back from you._

_Sam_

Enavana looks at the silly image of Sam sitting on the stairs in the apartment in his underwear and the measurements. She gets a few of her initial ideas written down before going to bed and completing her response tomorrow.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra and Seliha had just left the house after getting changed leaving Kate and Fosanta alone. The two of them had gone into their top room to relax after eating. "That was a good meal but unfortunately I am not in the mood to do anything silly."

"I understand but I feel a little disappointed now as this was your week."

"I am going to give Sam a message I think asking him around in the morning. I think we need to get some event things resolved as that would be a weight off my mind."

"Well as you say time is tight Kate so it would be good use of a free morning." She nods and gets out her Omni-tool. "If you are not in the mood then could I suggest a game for later?"

"It is not that I am not really in the mood Fosanta. I just feel full and would just like an hour or so just to relax."

"Do I have to win a blue human with red hair this evening?" Kate sends her message and closes her Omni-tool with a smile.

"Of course but what are you to propose to get that prize?"

"I honestly have no idea short of just hugging you Kate. I know that you are not strictly against a game or challenge that leaves you in a more submissive role but what you really like I do not know. I have played various games with crew members over the years which you could perhaps consider."

"I am waiting for a suggestion."

"One that I remember fondly was a competition to see who could create the most alluring image. Most of the crew participated with a few of the quieter individuals not doing so which was of course their decision. What surprised all of us the most was the Asari we barely saw for more than a small number of minutes per day submitted one of the best entries. I feel she regretted doing so in some ways as individuals seemed keen to go to engineering and have a talk to her. She did seem happier however to have individuals wanting to talk to her rather than leaving her alone."

"I am assuming you submitted an image?" Fosanta gets out her Omni-tool and goes through her image files. It only takes a minute or so to find the image of her sitting in a gold parabolic antenna with a slight shy smile on her face; her left hand partially covering her left breast and her right covering her azure. She gestures Kate to have a look. "I am most surprised as to you producing such an image but the gold colour goes very well with your skin colour."

"I unfortunately did not win but it was fun to participate. What I was hinting at was would you be willing to use the blue shower gel and then we can have a little image competition."

"What if these end up on the extranet Fosanta?"

"Would you feel happier if they stayed on a datapad that had its long range network communications disabled? I would quite like some images and video that we can look back at in years to come to remember the good times we had together."

"I would feel happier about that as I would rather not have images of me all over the extranet."

"That image that I showed you earlier of me is on the extranet and yes the media worked out who it was quite soon after they assumed I was your possible partner. Surprisingly I got an awful lot less negativity than Amistathya did with Sam."

"Does it not make you feel funny having such an image on the extranet?"

"Not particularly Kate. Would you care to elaborate on your thoughts while we wait for your food to digest?"

"It would make me feel a little, exposed is not quite the right word but is the right idea. I think it would also feel a little wrong that so many individuals could look at me. It just does not feel good for me Fosanta."

"I think it is perhaps an evolutionary difference thinking about it now. Perhaps it was better for females of your species to not draw undue attention to themselves. That is not to say that everyone is the same as I only have your thoughts as an idea but the theory would fit."

"You could be correct as it may have caused problems for a tribe if the females were seen as good ones to take." Kate smiles a little. "I never would have thought I would be talking about evolution to explain my feelings."

"Evolution ingrains traits into us all Kate and it is this that we pass onto any children. Asari naturally wish to keep what little diversity we can have in a mono-gendered species by choosing an individual who cannot be closely related. This meant that to find a partner you were either elected by your tribe to stay and hope for a partner to arrive or allowed to leave to seek a partner. Simple rules said that if you were to travel then it could not be to a neighbouring tribe. Travel and law therefore became grouped with love and melding and we had a goddess named Tevura who looked over those four elements of life. I assume you can see that if you stayed with a tribe then it was a good idea to get yourself known as being a good candidate to partner with. I have dark blue markings and fairly even skin so I felt reasonably confident in showing to others that I was a good candidate to partner with. It was just that time and moving between jobs meant it was too difficult to maintain a partnership for any length of time."

"It sounds like Thessia was almost like a planet sized market."

"In a way it was Kate. I did however mean that it was very rare for a tribe to start a war as they lost access to all the best individuals to partner with. That was typically enough to cause the tribe to rebel against their leaders and then attempt to make amends. It has allowed us as a species to be accepting of others opinions even if they are different to our own and we have never had a large war."

"Is Thessia still like that today?"

"It is not quite the same now as we have many species to choose from and so our choices have broadened immensely. It is still a tradition to visit another city on Janiris if you wish to find an Asari partner, even if it is just to find company for the day. Does your species have a special day for partners?"

"I honestly cannot say on a planet wide scale but I know several countries do have a day in February. I have always felt that it was a little artificial in some ways however. I think this stems from there being no traditional reason as to it being at that time of the year. If partners conceived a child on that day then it would mean having a child being born in winter when there was less food available. Christmas always seemed to have a better foundation for me as it was a winter festival to celebrate that half of winter had passed and to keep morale high through the long dark nights."

"Is it in a few days or have you missed it intentionally Kate?"

"It is the fourteenth. I just feel it is inappropriate to feel forced into treating a partner on a certain day. Is Janiris a similar give gifts to your partner idea?"

"It is a little but Janiri was the goddess of seasons, storms and agriculture. Most individuals looking for a partner left after the end of the storm season when flowers were blooming and crops growing. It was therefore tradition to give flowers in some form as a gift to the prospective partner upon arrival. They in acceptance would provide a small banquet to celebrate finding an individual. This has of course become commercialised over the years, hence stores selling flowers in various forms and arrangements, transport companies providing more shuttles between cities allowing people to travel and restaurants being heavily booked."

"What date is that Fosanta?"

"It will be on the twenty ninth of May Kate. Please do not get me anything elaborate for it Kate nor would I like a meal as it is, as you say a little forced. A single flower would be plenty as I feel it is more of a day for individuals without a partner than bondmates."

"I think we both have the same feelings Fosanta." Fosanta gives Kate a slight nod with a smile. "We should have a shower if you would like me blue." Fosanta gets up and heads for the door. "You seem very keen."

"You look wonderful with your skin blue, or red, or even its usual colour Kate. While I am not sure about yellow I am sure that you would find a way to make it look wonderful."

"Do we still have that purple gel that makes me red that Sam and Adastra tricked us with?"

"I think we do. Are you thinking of using red instead?" Fosanta asking as they walk into their bedroom.

"No Fosanta. I think my hair is light enough to go well with purple and since you seem to want an evening of play I thought why not."

"You have no idea how much my anticipation to your ideas frustrates me Kate."

"I do Fosanta. I also know if I said that you could tie me up then your mind would almost explode."

"That is mean; unless you really will let me then it is an evil tease."

"Perhaps but we will see what happens." Fosanta pushes Kate onto the bed and dives in for a kiss.

"You are easily the best individual in this galaxy when to let go Kate."

"I just have to learn what is appropriate out here and try to leave any insecurities I have back on my home world. It is difficult but I think I will get there eventually."

"That makes me so happy to hear. I need to see you purple before I become lost in a frenzy." Fosanta gets off Kate and goes to the bathroom taking the shower gel off the shelf as she does so. Kate gets up with a smile on her face and by the time she gets to the bathroom Fosanta is already naked and turning the shower on. Kate just laughs before beginning to shed her clothing.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"It has been a long time since I have been between the media and the engineers."

"I am sure Imphaya and I will try to help keep the media away Adastra."

"I am sure if we can find Matriarch Kaphira quickly enough then we would be ok Aumarva." The four of them make their way towards the activity and the obvious secured entry point.

"Good evening. I may only let you four in if you have been expressly invited, have a media permit or have a valid reason to be here." The Turian seemed non confrontational as if he asked each individual arriving the same question even if he was straight to the point.

"You could say that Matriarch Kaphira and I know each other well."

"I will have to get her to come and verify that herself in that case." Adastra nods as the Turian radios a second individual.

"Do you find security is generally a problem at these events?" Aumarva asking after the Turian had finished his radio communication.

"No miss. Most individuals know to stay away and watch it on a video stream. Those who do arrive generally have the required invites or passes."

"Are you going to be here tomorrow as well as I may have some friends interested in visiting?"

"If you are accepted in today then to reduce any hassle you should be able to obtain passes for tomorrow. You may be able to obtain invites for your friends as well."

"I will do that as it would save waiting around." The four of them wait a couple more minutes looking up into the sky to see the yellow and red gates glowing.

"If I had known you were to visit Miss Senpheus then I would have put a camera on the back of my ship." Matriarch Kaphira commenting with a smile when she saw Adastra waiting at the checkpoint.

"I doubt you would let me fly anyway. I believe the greeting is now Matriarch Kaphira."

"It is indeed Adastra. I will state my greetings and get to know everyone once we have got back to the technical room. They may enter Tarus." The Turian nods and waves the four of them in and they then begin to follow Matriarch Kaphira through the temporary docks. "I assume this looks very different to you than when you last came to a race Adastra?"

"Last time it was maybe two or three individuals more than just the pilots. Now it looks like it is nearer ten or perhaps more."

"Cyone Astro-Engineering have three pilots and seventeen individuals here Adastra so it is about six per pilot. The private teams usually manage with three as it used to be but back then competition was not quite as tough."

"I apologise, I am Imphaya and I quite like watching the races. I have not seen any news on any testing before this years racing which is rare."

"We have all got to the point where our ships just evolve out of the past years ones rather than make a new design each year. Testing is therefore not really needed Imphaya. It does not help that there are very few places where it could take place."

"I understand." The five of them walk towards a large shed sized structure which was transparent from waist height upwards.

"You have your own area Matriarch?"

"I do as I only analyse data for later use and development and not provide any real input into the actual race. I believe you are Seliha if I am not mistaken."

"You are not."

"It is good to meet you. Please do find yourselves a seat, even if a couple of you will unfortunately have to sit on the edge of a desk." Adastra and Seliha take the spare chairs which leaves Aumarva and Imphaya to perch on the edge of the desk. "Sarik from Yalon group took the test flight just before you arrived to check the course. It seems to be a more complicated one than usual as the test estimates a course time of a hundred and seventy four seconds."

"I am assuming Sarik is similar to you in that he is not a pilot?"

"You are correct Imphaya. Test flights are not done by the pilots as it could be deemed as practice and therefore an unfair advantage. I have the honour of testing tomorrows layout."

"I must ask Matriarch Kaphira but would you allow me to join you." Adastra trying not to give away her excitement.

"I am very surprised that you have never done this yourself before Adastra. How old are you now, three hundred and sixty?"

"Three hundred and sixty two. I could barely find freighting jobs let alone find funding to let me race. I am sure you have had plenty of individuals tell you about me."

"I have but I did not think that it would cause such an issue for you."

"You would be surprised. I think I only get better treatment now because of being the pilot to fly a new species back."

"I heard a core discharge as well which is impressive."

"It was very much down to the goddess looking favourably upon us that day. The three cores overloaded in sequence, not at once, and four plasma thrusters seemed to absorb quite a lot of the energy. It still caused widespread damage but it was manageable."

"It does make me feel a little pride that you were once my student Adastra and you both survived a discharge and still brought that ship home. I think you deserve to join me tomorrow but you must be here by seven thirty."

"Thank you Matriarch Kaphira."

"It really is no problem. We will be taking a Cyone class three super shuttle around the course. It will not be quite as quick as the competing ships but it is a very good ship for a commercial design."

"I am sure I will have to find some way to calm Adastra now as she will be excited until tomorrow."

"I am sure the reminder that it will be similar to the advanced atmospheric manoeuvring course should resolve that issue a little Seliha. Most pilots found that course to be the least likeable one as I was adamant that I was not to teach individuals in ships that had a gravitationally compensated cockpit."

"I remember that there was always a freshly cleaned smell in the cockpit before we started. I did understand why very soon afterwards."

"The ship tomorrow will be better than those we used at the university Adastra so while having some container may be helpful it should not be too bad."

"That is good news."

"When does the race begin Matriarch? I am Aumarva if you do not know me."

"The first ship should leave in about fifteen minutes Aumarva. I will describe a few things to you all while we wait if you wish." She gets four nods and so begins to go through the basics.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Well at least that is... done now" Sam pausing mid sentence after noticing a new message notification on his Omni-tool.

_Sam,_

_I am not sure if you can make it or not but I feel that we should attempt to plan a little more of the event tomorrow. I do know that you have a guest tomorrow as well as going with the other two so you may be busy. It is only a thought as I am aware that time is short. _

_Kate_

"I think we could perhaps go around to the house tomorrow morning to see if we can get a few more details resolved. I would just have to be aware that Aphrina may arrive fairly early though." Amistathya carefully gets into bed. "You do not look too happy about meeting again though. Could I ask why?"

"I am happy about meeting Aphrina again but I am worried about how comfortable it will be for her."

"I am sure that as long as you are your usual quiet self then she will feel fine Ami. I cannot believe I am to say this but you could show in some way that it is me who has your interest now if you wished."

"Speaking of interest, I do have an idea on my mind about something else but I am a little nervous to ask."

"I am not scary Ami so please just ask."

"Would you like to see if you can separate the single entity in a meld?" Sam seems to become puzzled by that question.

"What do you mean by that?"

"It is easy to make simple movements or to feel intense sensations or feelings in a meld. It is much harder to separate the entity enough to appreciate something as delicate as a finger that is very lightly run down someone's back for example. It would add a richness to the meld, prevent you being swamped by my past and let you find out why I like you stroking the underside of my folds."

"Why do I get the feeling I will have to do something special to do this?"

"Not really Sam. Just keep your mind clear and let your subconscious handle physical movements. The only critical bit is you must keep having fun off your mind otherwise you will be unable to keep your mind clear enough since this is your first time. Eventually you should be able to do both at once."

"I can manage that Ami. Do you have any other advice?"

"Take your time Sam. I would quite like to use this for a little comfort tomorrow as I know the topic will get around to the one I do not particularly like. If you do well then it should not be long before you should be able to speak, listen and concentrate on the connection. I felt you were becoming comfortable melding on Tuesday and so I have hope you will manage to learn quickly."

"I hope you are not thinking of melding in front of everyone for that comfort Ami, at least this early if I need practice."

"I will not Sam but I would like to do so when we get back from watching that ship racing."

"Is this really Ami I am hearing? The sound of reasonableness from your lips is rather strange to hear."

"I only want you to learn as I feel it would be best for you."

"I understand. Do say when I should be ready Ami." Amistathya shuffles across the bed to kneel in front of Sam. She looks into his eyes and gazes into the darkness for a few moments before closing her eyes. Sam does likewise and feels an odd presence descend over him.

"A pure meld is when you can feel a single raindrop fall on the other individual. A place where a single light touch is pleasing in the same way as a warming ray of sun is on a cool day. Experience, navigate and learn to see what can happen." Sam attempts to reach out with his right hand but just succeeds in breaking the connection. Sam opens his eyes and feels his brain bobbing around in his head.

"I just have two questions. Why did that feel so different to normal and I assume I did something wrong?"

"I am just happy you could get as far as you did Sam. It feels different as it is a physical connection. You broke it by trying to think about where to move your hand. You already know where my body is as you are it so you do not need to think."

"How were you speaking if you do not think?"

"I as myself was thinking but I as the entity was not. You have heard of talking without thinking? When words come to you from nowhere and you just say them."

"I have. Oh I think I understand. So the subconscious entity is thinking while the conscious is not."

"Yes. Instinctively you should be able to do anything with enough practice but you must relax and trust that you can. Next time just get lost in the moment and maintain the meld for a while before doing anything Sam." He nods and takes a breath before closing his eyes, the feeling quickly enveloping him again.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"The gate is therefore destructible so that if a ship hits them it is an obvious indicator."

"Do the gates stay in the same position relative to each other or relative to the planets surface?"

"It has to be with the surface Seliha as on some courses obstacles such as wind gusts from a valley would be different for each participant otherwise."

"It seems the last pilot has just finished. They hit that last reverse gate though."

"I noticed a couple of other pilots had done that as well Imphaya. I personally would have taken a longer route through that gate as the time lost would have been minimal."

"Where are Cyone's pilots in the order Matriarch or do you not know?" She looks to her console.

"Second, fourth and fifth Seliha. The lower two hit a gate. It is still possible to get back several seconds tomorrow and still win."

"Speaking of tomorrow, the Turian at the gate said that we could do with getting passes if we wished to come tomorrow."

"Of course he did. Matriarch Lasala is the Asari contingent representative and also current head of the Cyone Astro-Engineering team. She would be the individual to ask Adastra."

"Surely that causes some conflict of interest with the other Asari participants?"

"The other participants enjoy having a representative who will be heard Aumarva. Matriarch Lasala is also very fair and equal to every participant no matter if they are a private pilot, a part of a competing company's team or her own."

"Where would we find Matriarch Lasala?"

"She will likely be with Tharik Narithus who is the leader of the council for competitive ship racing. They will most likely be in the large glass building to your right when you leave. There may well be some media around if one of the pilots or teams are arguing something."

"I am sure we can stay out of their way. I am sure we will all meet you tomorrow."

"I am sure that you will Imphaya and it has been a pleasant surprise to meet you all, especially yourself Adastra."

"I will make sure that I am on time tomorrow Matriarch Kaphira."

"I would be disappointed if you were not Adastra." Adastra nods and the four of them leave Matriarch Kaphira to get some work done before tomorrows round of racing.

"I suppose that is one way to move equipment around." Aumarva looking at a Krogan lifting a very large helium-3 cylinder as if it was empty and made from thin polystyrene.

"Fortunately you will not need to lift any reporters out of the way." Aumarva gives Adastra a slight smile as they approach and enter into the building. It seems relatively devoid of individuals other than an Asari to their right behind a large desk.

"Could I help you four this evening?"

"Matriarch Kaphira asked us to talk to Matriarch Lasala about getting a pass for tomorrow to make entry a little quicker."

"Please do take a seat for a couple of minutes while I resolve the issue for you." The four of them do so with two seats left to spare. "I believe I know who you all are but I am most interested as to why you are here today?"

"Seliha asked if I wanted to visit and of course I said yes after doing so once before nearly three centuries ago. Matriarch Kaphira used to be my instructor on my advanced flight control course and the University of Serrice."

"So you are not here for Armali council's benefit then?"

"It is just for my own interest Matriarch. I am curious as to why you ask?"

"Armali have a supplier permit for propulsion devices and also have one for a class two team but have never actively promoted their products or even visited a race. When you two arrived in an Armali council shuttle it was a surprise to say the least."

"They only have a permit for a class two team?"

"Class three teams can only be from ship manufacturers unless a ship manufacturer is contracted to work for the parent company under their name. This is for safety reasons as we would not want anyone building ships as they may have basic flaws in them therefore making them dangerous."

"I think I understand. I was going to bring Amistathya, Sam and Silana along with me tomorrow if that would be ok. Matriarch Kaphira said that I could join her on the test flight if I am here early enough."

"What class are you certified to fly Adastra? I know you flew class five with the ASL Enlighten but I do not know how qualified you are."

"Nine Matriarch. I could fly the Destiny Ascension if the need arose."

"I am most confused as to why Armali and Sentix engineers would visit unless this is a visit with an interest to enter."

"Sam has an interest in propulsion which I feel is what is making him interested. Kate and Fosanta may also visit but that is not a definite."

"Ok. Adastra I will give you a pilots pass to allow you to enter as you are more than qualified. Seliha, I will give you a technical pass to allow you easier entry. Aumarva and Imphaya I believe." The two of them nod. "I will give you guest passes to allow you to follow Adastra and Seliha but you may be questioned by teams as to your intentions. This is by no means any disrespect to the work you both do but teams can be quite paranoid as to who finds out about certain things."

"I think we both understand that point of view."

"I am pleased to hear that. Sam, Amistathya and Silana I will extend invites to. They will be from the competitions council and not a team as I feel it would be irresponsible of me to place a large number of guests on one team. I will leave an invite with Tarus at the main gate for Kate and a technical pass for Fosanta given you do not know if they are to attend."

"Would the other security get passes Matriarch or will they have to be cleared as they arrive?"

"As long as you all arrive together then I will ensure that all the arrangements are made Imphaya. I would quite like to speak to you all upstairs in this building after the race tomorrow if you can spare a little time."

"I am sure that we can. It is however getting late so we should leave."

"Of course. Your passes will be messaged to you tomorrow morning and I hope to see you all tomorrow evening."

"I am sure that you will and we appreciate the efficient request for passes."

"That is no issue at all Adastra." She nods before following the other three out of the door.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Amistathya brushes Sam's cheek with a finger leaving behind a warm, tingling trail. Sam instead of going for her cheek runs his fingers very lightly down Ami's folds creating a soft tickling feeling as if a thin paint brush was being used. Ami turns her head and Sam runs his finger up the underside of her folds. The feeling became one of a feather giving static shocks which tickle every nerve ending in their body as well as providing a warming trail in its wake. Ami breaks the meld.

"I really apologise Sam. That was my fault for letting my mind wander."

"I still have goosebumps from that feeling Ami. That was... I am not sure what but I can easily see why you like it."

"My mind wandered back to the first shower we had together on the Citadel. I tried my hardest to cover up what I was feeling at the time as I was embarrassed about what you would think. The fact you are such a wondrous individual did not help the flood I felt either."

"That was still a memorable time for me as well." The two of them spend a second or two reminiscing in their own minds about that time before Sam sighs. "I am not going to get to sleep easily feeling like I do now. I know you may refuse Ami as I know it is addictive but could we meld again? I would quite like to stroke your folds and if you could just tease me a little I would appreciate it."

"You mean like the last two Sam?" He nods. "Even I am not sure I can keep my mind from wandering in that situation."

"Who was it who said with practice you should be able to do anything you wish. I think it was an individual with sky blue markings. I understand if you do not wish to do so Ami or if you think it is bad to meld three times in one evening."

"I will agree but with one stipulation Sam which is that we continue to try until we succeed."

"Hold on." Sam trying to piece together the flotsam of thoughts in his mind. "I have a couple of questions, again, before your enthusiasm takes over. My mind already feels very light after the last two melds, is it a good thing to have many attempts in such a short space of time? Also do you not become tired having to maintain the connection?"

"I do become tired but it is not too difficult now as we have melded and connected many times. There is no real downside to many melds as long as we are to rest afterwards which we are. I just hope that you can temper the addiction a little yourself so I do not have to do so."

"I will try my best Ami." She smiles and nods before gently rolling Sam onto his back. She rests her head on his chest with her folds in Sam's sight. "Are you to say when you are to begin a meld Ami?"

"I do not need to do so Sam. Just close your eyes and relax, your subconscious should know how to handle the connection by now." Sam does as Ami said and after several seconds feels the reach of his senses broaden. He softly strokes the outside of Ami's folds first which allows them both to sink into the parallel universe they both occupied.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I cannot believe I am this fortunate." Fosanta taking as she takes an image of Kate on the bed with the duvet draped her waist covering nothing except her belly button. Kate waits for Fosanta to take the image before going to the bedside drawer and picking out the blue vibrator.

"I think now would be a good time for you to lie on the bed on your front facing the mirror." Fosanta does not hesitate and does as Kate asked. Kate kneels across Fosanta and looks towards Fosanta's face in the mirror. "Now that is an image. It is a pity we cannot take one given the reflection. Perhaps Adastra could take one of us like this one day." Kate smiles as Fosanta closes her eyes. "I think someone is a little desperate. Do not meld Fosanta." Kate sees a small nod before she turns on the vibrator and easily slides it into Fosanta making her take a deep breath. She squirms a little under Kate before beginning to tip onto her left hand side as she tries to bring her knees to her chest. She slumps back onto her front several seconds later trying to regain her breath. Kate takes the vibrator from her before getting off her. "I think that was the first time you have seemed so lost Fosanta." She takes a last deep breath to settle her mind before rolling onto her side to look at Kate.

"It was. I still feel a little tense though but I have to apologise for not being able to control my feelings."

"Sometimes our feelings just take over and it is all you can think about. Please do not apologise. I have an idea which I think would be nice with a meld."

"What is the idea?" Kate smiles before moving to lie on her side and shuffles up to Fosanta. She gives her wet lips a lick. "You are really not going to expect this Kate. Relax. Embrace eternity." Kate feels a fizzing excitement spread over her body as if someone had just poured vinegar over baking soda. Fosanta then not only begins sucking but gently nibbling Kate's slightly sensitive lips. Kate does likewise to Fosanta and it is not long before they both want to stop to get more breath, yet they must keep going, neither one wanting to even consider anything else other than pleasure. Kate gives out half a second before Fosanta and the two of them end up on their backs, out of breath a handful of seconds later. They both calm themselves down enjoying the last of the glow before Kate sits up and looks to Fosanta.

"That was fun."

"You made it as good as it was by letting go Kate. I have very much enjoyed this evening and I hope it may continue next weekend."

"I may not be purple but I hope so too. I think we should get some sleep though now as I am rather tired."

"I agree." Fosanta straightens out the duvet which was scrunched up in a ball before covering Kate up and carefully tucking it around her. She then gets in herself and cuddles up to Kate with a smile. "Oh you are such an alluring tease even just lying there with a smile." Kate gives Fosanta a kiss before putting her head back down. "I hope you sleep well Kate."

"I hope that you do as well." Fosanta nods, a pleased smile stuck on her face before turning off the light and settling down.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**Oh how time flies. I know that this chapter is ridiculously late but at least it is here now. The next chapter should be posted fairly soon so there should not be an extended wait. **

**I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter and a review would be most appreciated if you could spare the time.**

**Thank you all for reading.**


	57. Chapter 57 : Re-Celebration Weekend Pt2

**Chapter 57 - Re-Celebration Weekend Pt.2**

* * *

><p><strong>Sunday 26th February 2017<strong>

"You two look fairly tired this morning."

"I happened to get talking to Matriarch Kaphira which did bring back memories. I knew she would bring up me docking a shuttle into a shuttle bay backwards. By bring up I mean it was the first thing she mentioned but it is a good laugh now."

"What was the actual race like Adastra?"

"Errm. I think I got distracted a little. I think Cyone Astro-Engineering is second, fourth and fifth but who is first I cannot remember. We were mostly talking about the gates and looking at some of the equipment used. We then had a little talk with Matriarch Lasala to organise everyone visiting tonight if they wished to. I will have to watch the race later on the console as I know that a few gates were hit."

"I was quite interested in the control of the gates as that requires intricate control to maintain the correct position."

"Do the gates move with the planet or are they stationary Seliha?"

"They move Fosanta which must be a nightmare for the pilots as the ones higher up will be moving at a greater relative speed."

"It just means you have alternative ways of getting through some of the gates." Fosanta nods. "So what are the plans this morning or can I watch the race?"

"Sam is to come around to discuss the event. I am just conscious that time is short and there is still plenty left to do."

"I am sure that we can get something else resolved Kate." She nods to Adastra who waters her plant on the window sill before beginning to help Seliha make breakfast for them both. "How was your quiet night while we were away?"

"Interesting but I feel it would be better having more individuals than just the two of us. Perhaps you two would be interested in a bit of fun one evening." Fosanta looks across to Kate who does not seem greatly bothered by that suggestion given the slight smile on her face.

"I would quite like that and I am sure Adastra would be keen as well."

"Of course I would Seliha, you know me. I must say that I would prefer it to be in the house and no images however Fosanta as I am still a little unsure."

"I understand that Adastra."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Could I ask what you two were doing in the middle of the night? It sounded as if you were both fighting each other." Sam looks to Ami who shares a smile with him as the two of them take a seat at the kitchen table where Hymara, Lianta and Silana were already sat eating their breakfasts.

"It was I think the best night I have had with Ami, even if I did loose out on several hours sleep. I suppose you could say it was my fault for wanting to see what a bruised breast felt like. I neglected to mention to Ami my intention though." Sam's Omni-tool beeps.

"Did it really have to involve fighting?"

"The biggest noise was me accidently falling off the bed through my lack of coordination. Ami seemed to find it funny and hence the few minutes of silly playfulness. I think at that stage we were both tired and not exactly thinking clearly." Sam looks a little confused at his Omni-tool as Silana's beeps.

"I was going to ask why but I do not think I wish to know. All I know is I doubt the others have this kind of problem."

"Hold on a second Hymara."

_Sam,_

_The governing council for ship racing would like to extend an invitation to you to visit the site of the class three light race at Nos Xanthi this evening. This invite will allow you access to anywhere you wish excluding entering ships. It is also an invitation to meet with a council representative after the race itself. Please show this message to security upon your arrival._

_Matriarch Lasala, Asari participant representative._

"I am sure that you can ask the others if they have the same problem this morning Hymara as we have to go to the house anyway. If you wished you could even ask if a couple of them would swap with Lianta and yourself to give you both a bit of a break."

"I will discuss that with Hymara and the others Sam as I feel Hymara prefers actions which are logical and what you two have done this last week is anything but. It may allow us a little rest which I think we would like."

"That was why I suggested it Lianta." She nods. "I am assuming your message was an invite to the ship racing this evening Silana?" Amistathya's Omni-tool beeps.

"It was Sam."

"I also see that Ami has one as well." Sam looking over her shoulder. "How are you anyway this morning Silana?"

"I am fine Sam but a little confused. Can I ask why we are going to the house?"

"Kate seemingly wishes to sort a few things for the event out. If you could kindly keep an eye on the time while we are there I would appreciate it Silana as we need to be back for when Aphrina arrives."

"I will do that Sam."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"You two do look much happier with each other since Friday." Kate commenting as Adastra cosies up to Seliha on the end of the sofa.

"It has been a weight off my mind Kate and I am sure Adastra feels similarly."

"It is nice to have certainties and I am rather pleased that we went out last night as I liked it. It was a very good way to end a lovely day. I am just hoping that we can have some fun while you are both away on the Citadel next weekend."

"I would like a house to come back to so I hope you both do not get too silly. I think however the others have arrived." Fosanta noting a skycar landing on the visitors pad.

"At least we should be able to make a start soon."

"You sound a little stressed about this Kate and it is not even something you should be really bothered about."

"I feel much happier than I was yesterday evening about it Adastra but it is something I feel that needs attention."

"I am sure we will get something resolved this morning." Sam, Amistathya and Silana walk through the front door. "How are you three this morning?"

"I am a little tired. I am also trying not to say too much to Ami for fear of saying something I may regret Adastra. How are you two today after last night?" Sam looking to Adastra and Seliha as the three of them take a seat.

"It was a very interesting night Sam and I also met my old instructor from when I did advanced flight control. I think you will really like looking around this evening Sam."

"Why was your instructor there?"

"Matriarch Kaphira used to be a pilot in the races but now fulfils a more technical role Silana. She said that she will let me go around the course in the test ship this evening which I am excited about."

"I assume you spoke to some others as well as we got invites this morning." Sam talking as he and Amistathya take a seat with Adastra and Seliha. Silana sits down next to Fosanta.

"We spoke to Matriarch Lasala to get them Sam and she wishes to meet us after the race this evening. Kate and Fosanta, your passes will be at the security checkpoint when we arrive as I did not know whether you were to join us this evening or not."

"I do not think we have even decided yet Adastra."

"It sounds like it will be an interesting evening. How are you two getting along?" Sam looking across the table to Kate and Fosanta.

"Well we had a fairly nice evening which was different Sam. Fosanta seems to have rather strong feelings for me."

"It is difficult not to Kate and I am slightly jealous of your hair."

"I would be disappointed if Fosanta had anything less than strong feelings Kate as you are a rather attractive individual. I am being honest with my statements because I feel I can at the moment. It depends whether you feel the same way towards Fosanta."

"I feel I do, perhaps not quite as strongly yet but each bit of time we have together helps." Sam nods.

"Sam, before we start I am curious why you said earlier that you are trying not to say much to Athya. Has something happened between you two?"

"To be honest Seliha I may as well say as Ami will know how I am feeling. Ami and I melded a few times last night, something to do with separating the entity. Anyway my mind was entirely useless by about the fifth time but it was fun eventually. I am just feeling a yearning to meld which is a little annoying."

"How did you do Sam?"

"Can I say?" Sam looking to the one on his knee who nods with a smile. "We managed to have a little bit of a playful fight, make too much noise too early in the morning for Hymara and we did finally manage to find relief. It was a good night overall Seliha."

"I assume it was you who kept making the mistakes Sam?"

"It tended to be more my fault Adastra but Ami was patient and also sometimes made mistakes as well."

"I seem to be being left out here, what are you talking about?" Kate seemingly curious more than annoyed.

"When you meld and you receive feelings Kate they are likely to be rather general and a bit of a confused mess. Most individuals do not mind this as having fun tends to be like that anyway. It does mean that the meld is more focused on strong thoughts which I assume is not what Sam and Athya really want. You can spend time and learn to begin to separate those general and confused feelings to appreciate them for what they are. I hope that helps you understand Kate."

"I understand the concept but what do you mean by feelings may be general or confused Silana?"

"I will answer for you Kate." She gestures Fosanta to go on with a slight nod. "Individuals generally expect a meld to overwhelm, be quite intense and most importantly arousing. This means the focus is very much on thoughts and not feelings which generally descend into an undefined mess unless they are particularly strong. With practice the balance can be changed which can be advantageous to some but certainly not to the majority."

"Ok Fosanta you seem to be fairly knowledgeable on this. Why is it advantageous to some but not to most? Ami forgot to tell me why last night."

"A normal meld is very forgiving Sam. This means any species with any level of experience and in almost any environment gets a similar experience. It has two times it is apparently unsatisfying at best and almost unbearable at worst and they are, having intolerable memories in the meld or melding in a highly stressful situation. In those situations it is sometimes best to learn to form a purer meld. A purer meld however is supposedly very individual specific, requires quite a lot of practice to begin with and the environment will change the meld in various ways, not necessarily for the better. This along with the fact it can supposedly make the meld a little sterile puts most individuals off even practicing."

"Those situations both happened on Tuesday." Kate and Fosanta look confused and so Sam looks to Adastra.

"I forgot to tell Kate and Fosanta Sam. I apologise as I was lost in the moment of Seliha giving me a ritual."

"Tell us what Adastra?" Adastra looks to Sam.

"Ami melded and had sex with myself while drowning me in the bath on Tuesday Kate. I just have one recommendation and that is not to have a type two recessive variant A bondmate." Realisation takes over from the shock on Fosanta's face as Sam says that.

"Why are you even still with Athya Sam as that is insane?"

"This hurts me a lot Kate but if you know what Stockholm syndrome is then you have a decent and probably correct explanation. The sky blue one is however worth the minor inconveniences and so much more, especially after last night."

"Stockholm syndrome?"

"I think it was named after a hostage situation that happened in a bank in a city called Stockholm Seliha. It occurs when an individual is threatened, abused or tormented by another individual intermittently. The receiving individual can begin to develop empathy and sympathy for the abuser in the gaps between the abuse, sometimes becoming strong enough to defend the abusers actions. From an outside perspective this defence seems illogical or insane given the situations or actions that occur. I hope that helps you all but I am not giving up my blue one and I am very happy with Ami."

"Since I am the only sane human out here would someone like to help me by saying what type two recessive variant A means?"

"No idea Kate other than it is a genetic mutation and it has possible negative side effects of which I have seemingly had every one of. I understand how individuals could be driven insane but I honestly feel fine Kate. The only change really has been what Sha'ira said I may get from Ami's memories which is a little less empathy towards others. This is quite situational but I have noticed it."

"What do you think of Sam and Amistathya Silana? I am only interested as I think Kate would like to know."

"Athya cares about Sam, much more than is obvious from the outside. She admits to taking any opportunity for personal satisfaction or excitement if she can do so. Agreements made say that Athya needs to compensate Sam for her self indulgences which means they both generally come out satisfied. I must say that I think Athya causes Hymara and Lianta more problems than she does Sam."

"Do you not think drowning is something that should not happen though Silana?"

"Silana please do not answer Kate." She nods. "Kate, life throws you all kinds of things that should not happen. An example for Ami and I was us receiving that illegal ritual. An example for you would be visiting my house on Christmas day only to meet two blue individuals from space. You need to open your mind Kate, not cling onto what you used to know and feel, as that is mostly irrelevant out here. Look to Fosanta to guide you through this new environment and should both be happier." Kate only sees the need to nod for the moment. "Now, are we to get to the event planning any time soon? I am asking as Ami seems a little disheartened now and I have not got long before I need to leave to meet Aphrina."

"We have a reasonably lengthy list of some decent talent Sam. I think we must decide if we are to have any setup or rehearsal time before the event and also how long each act is to be as it would be a little embarrassing to have nothing to fill the time between if someone finishes a little early."

"I have not seen the list but to keep times reasonable then a 2pm start and a 8pm finish would probably be ideal. That would allow time in the morning for any last minute problems to be resolved and yet it is not too late for individuals needing to get ships from the space port. Are there any objections or alternatives to that suggestion?"

"I think it needs moving on an hour Sam. My reasoning is that I think we would have to say to individuals to try to arrive for 2pm otherwise there would be barely anyone there at the start. Having the start at three would mean individuals could have lunch and then get ready before making their way to the event."

"I am bothered more by individuals wanting to get back home Silana. Unfortunately I doubt Nos Astra will have enough hotel space to accommodate all the extra visitors who choose to travel on Sunday instead. I feel the vast majority will travel on Saturday night or Sunday to get back home for work on Monday. Given getting out of the hanger will not be quick, possibly taking an hour or so and then having to get to the space port if your ship is to leave any earlier than about ten then you have a problem."

"I see the logic there and since it is on a Saturday and not a Friday then it should be fine."

"As for rehearsals or time to work out specifics, I feel an open invite for the individuals to turn up any time from Wednesday would be advisable. I think we would ideally need Veritas Broadcasting to be there on Monday or Tuesday to set up as I would hate them to turn up late as they may well be bringing infrastructure which needs testing."

"I am sure that their reliability is good Sam."

"I do not doubt that Seliha but I do not know what they wish to provide yet. If they are to provide lighting to ensure the video is good quality then we need time to install it. It is a large space and even if you can install them quickly I could easily see it taking a couple of days."

"I will make sure to ask if we need to arrange lighting or they are to do so Sam as you make a good point. How long do you think I should say each performance group or individual should try to produce? We have ten that are eager to do something a little different."

"Ok so split logically that is just over half an hour each. If we say half an hour and then use the extra time for announcements and video pieces then I feel that would be adequate." Fosanta nods as she jots down these notes in her Omni-tool.

"One thing I think that you are missing Sam is that perhaps not all of the individuals may make use of half an hour. By that I mean some may be more used to a ten minute amount of time and others an hour or more."

"I agree there Silana. I think the best solution would be to say that if the individual is happy with half an hour then great. If they cannot then say and if they are more than happy to do more then make that clear also. We need times to be able to create blocks of time which we can stack together to form the event. I think the performers would also like to know the time they have to be able to come up with an adequate set."

"Do you have any ideas to inspire a theme they could work towards Sam?"

"This is the time I need ideas from everyone else Fosanta as I am not the source of all solutions. That is especially true since Kate seems confused and a little quiet about something."

"I am confused how you can feel fine and happy with how you are Sam. I am also a little surprised by you seemingly not showing any obvious signs."

"Just believe I am happy, feel normal and I have not lost my mind Kate. Does anyone have any ideas for the event?"

"Could we not just have something like, stories we should share?"

"That is at least a good start for ideas Adastra. Does anyone have any other ideas or development on that idea?"

"I think we need two or even three Sam. Adastra's is a good one that covers a very broad category. I propose entrancing communication as it covers everything from a well told story to a visual act such a dancing."

"That sounds like a good argument to me Silana. Do you two have an idea?" Sam looking at Fosanta who had her Omni-tool open.

"I am just looking at the act list to see what they have in common or what they could do Sam. I think those two are excellent in a broad scope but we need a couple of other much narrower targets that individuals can choose from."

"You mean like short single or two word descriptions of something?"

"That would probably do as long as the list is complimentary Kate."

"Unexpected, inspiring hope and amusing."

"I like that list Kate. I do think it needs a qualifying few sentences before it allows the event to become too sidetracked. I feel that the unexpected can be anything the act generally does not do but it must be combined with either inspiring hope or the larger subject of stories we should share. I say that as unexpected is too weak by itself and combining it with amusing alone is essentially like a band for example stopping mid tune saying a joke and carrying on. I think the others are self explanatory given what the charity does."

"I would hope the acts are more original than your suggestion Sam but I will put your conditions in as your suggestion would fit the brief and could be tempting. I know this may be a little tight for time but would you three be ok to visit next Saturday afternoon after bioamp testing. I would prefer Kate to feel progress was being made before going on a break so she is not as stressed."

"I think we can do that Fosanta and I will try to keep it to just event things next week."

"This is a good time to end anyway Sam as it will not be long before Aphrina will arrive."

"It is just like it was all planned Silana. Now all we need to see is if Hymara and Lianta have arranged a swap."

"Swap?"

"Hymara and Lianta seem to want a break from us for some strange reason Seliha. I suggested that they could perhaps talk to the others and see if any of them wished to look after us for a week instead, specifically until next Saturday afternoon if we are to meet then."

"We should go and ask them then what is happening." The seven of them stand and begin to make their way over to the other house. "I am only interested as I would rather the swap was not a pair for a pair if you understand what I mean Sam."

"I do Fosanta and I think Seliha would prefer that Adastra kept Imphaya and Aumarva just for piece of mind."

"It would be helpful and rather considerate if that was the case Sam. That does however mean it has to be Fosanta and Kate having a change which is a little mean." Sam gives the door a bang.

"It is really between everyone else Seliha as it is hardly like Ami and I are asking them to do so." The door opened as Sam was talking.

"You do know that you do not have to bang the door Sam."

"I keep forgetting Imphaya, sorry. I assume you know why we are here."

"I can assume it is something about Hymara and Lianta wishing to have a break from you and Amistathya." Sam nods. "Selayla and Yasmari have said that they would not mind swapping for a week. That is if Kate and Fosanta are not against that proposal."

"I think we can agree to that as long as they are back for when we go to the Citadel next Sunday morning."

"I will go to inform them and they should be ready to leave in a couple of minutes." Imphaya gets a few nods before leaving.

"I wonder if the fish are in a talking mood today?" Sam makes his way over to the fish pond trailed by the others.

"Are you sure you are fine Sam?"

"It is a joke Selayla and I have Kate. I must have a talk to her when we get to the apartment though as I can see a potential problem. If I can see it then Ami can as well."

"What problem would that be Sam? I would quite like to see Selayla come back as the same individual."

"You two both worry too much. I think your citadel break is sorely needed to relieve that stress. Even Hymara and Lianta are fine, just in need of a short break in the same way as you and Kate are."

"You are probably correct."

"I think it would be best if we turned up at your apartment before going to the race this evening Sam."

"I think that sounds like a good idea Adastra but roughly what time would that be? I am just asking as I am not sure how long Aphrina would wish to stay."

"After we have eaten Sam so just before seven as I need to be at the site half an hour later."

"That sounds ok to me."

"At least you have others to talk to today and not just the fish Sam." Selayla and Yasmari walking over from their house with a moderate sized bag each.

"The large yellow and blue one keeps tormenting me Selayla so I needed some friends around for support." Selayla shakes her head with a smile. "Are you both ready to leave?"

"We are Sam."

"I hope to see you all tonight but if not then next Saturday afternoon. We may be a little busy Thursday and Friday wiring and plumbing the ship again just so that you know what our week is to be like."

"I think we all have a full week at Armali Sam so Saturday afternoon would likely be the most convenient time anyway. As I said earlier I do not think we have decided whether we are to go this evening or not yet."

"It is entirely up to you both if you wish to go Fosanta." She nods before Sam, Amistathya, Silana, Yasmari and Selayla all head to the skycar, Yasmari and Selayla with their bags. The five of them get in and give a wave to the others from the windows as they leave.

"Are you two going to come along this evening?"

"What is there to do there Adastra?"

"There are plenty of individuals to talk to Kate. You just have to be a little careful with what questions you ask so as to not seem like you are trying to take others ideas."

"How many teams compete?"

"Four teams and five individuals. Are you thinking of going Kate? I admit the interest is mostly technical but it is certainly different." Kate looks to Fosanta.

"It would be at least something different to do. It would be nice to get you talking to others outside of work a little more. I am sure the individuals there will be patient and explain what is happening."

"Ok you have convinced me. I think it is however lunch time." Fosanta nods to Kate and the four of them go back into the house to make lunch.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Ami and Silana. Would you both be kind enough to make something to eat while I have a talk to Selayla and Yasmari?"

"Can I not join in?" Amistathya looking to Sam with a slightly disappointed expression.

"I would prefer you had a little time to feel comfortable Ami as I know the topic will reappear this afternoon. I will explain everything later if that makes you feel better." She nods before following Silana to the kitchen area. "I think showing you both your bedroom would be a good place to start."

"I agree with that. Hymara and Lianta told us to use their room."

"In that case follow me." The two of them do so up the stairs while carrying their bags. They enter into the bedroom.

"I did not know Hymara and Lianta had quite this much space." Selayla sounding a little surprised.

"They are ample bedrooms, some may say a little over the top but still. Would you mind if I asked a couple of questions and made a couple of observations before lunch?"

"Not at all Sam." Yasmari just placing her bag down next to the set of drawers for the moment.

"I am a little bothered about what Hymara and Lianta may have said this morning as it may portray us in a bad light. Ami as you probably know is on the dangerous list because of her past. I also found out on Friday that she is a type two recessive variant A individual. I am not sure if that means anything to you both?"

"Lianta told us this Sam. She also explained what happened on Tuesday and how worried the two of them were having Amistathya in the house with you."

"I understand why it may have been a little worrying Yasmari. The three small pieces of advice I have for both of you are, to try and support Ami if you can as she is happier then, to call her Athya as she prefers it generally and Selayla, please be cautious."

"Why would I need to be cautious Sam?"

"You obviously like Ami a little Selayla and that interest could be used against you if you are not careful. I am only saying this because I would rather that you knew in advance what may happen. If you would quite like a small sky blue marked Asari have her way with you then that is entirely up to you. I am just providing you a fair warning Selayla. Yasmari, I feel you should be fine unless you invite the interaction."

"Are you trying to entice me with your comments Sam or was that unintentional?"

"Neither Selayla, I was only pointing out you can both offer to play with Ami if you wish. I was just pointing out that it may end up being a little scary. I think that is all I really have to say. Do you two have any questions?"

"Just one Sam. Lianta said about someone visiting this afternoon?"

"Our waiter from yesterday is visiting Yasmari. Aphrina used to work with Ami many years ago. I am sure you could both sit with us if you wished."

"I think we may as we do not know an awful lot about Amis... Athya. Calling her Athya is likely to take some getting used to though."

"It is easy with a little practice Yasmari. If you wished you could perhaps ask Ami this evening if you could call her Amistathya if you wished? She may well be happy enough with that as I know she likes the name, she just dislikes individuals mispronouncing it."

"I may do that Sam but I think I can smell lunch." Sam nods before Yasmari and Selayla follow Sam out of the bedroom and downstairs.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The door chime rings through the apartment. "I am sure you know who that should be Silana. Would you like to welcome them in?" Silana nods and goes to open to the door to see two Asari.

"A good afternoon to you Aphrina. I am not sure we were expecting a second guest. Please do come in however." The two of them walk in; the tall, light blue Asari carrying a small box.

"Thank you Silana. This is Solpha my bondmate. She was a little disbelieving when I explained Sam had invited us to his apartment."

"It is good to meet you Solpha." Sam commenting from the single chair, Ami in her black, white and blue dress on his knee.

"It is a remarkable privilege to meet you Sam and I apologise for inviting myself but I was doubtful of Aphrina's claim. You are not just another rich business owner here on Illium which made me wonder if she was not just trying to have a little fun at my expense."

"That would be a good joke but no it is really me. Please do take a seat both of you." The two of them do so. "Opposite me on the right is Silana." Sam pointing her out just as she sits down. "In the middle is Selayla and on the left Yasmari. No Selayla and Yasmari are not technically my security but they are for today."

"It is good to meet you three." They all give Solpha a nod and a smile.

"I am not sure where to begin really."

"I will begin with a question then Sam. I heard that you and Athya agreed to an illegal ritual but the media was extremely light on details. I am just confused as to why you would choose an illegal one when there are many alternatives."

"We did not choose Solpha. The ritual was delivered to us from an individual who we do not know. So Illegal? Yes. Fun? Definitely not. Aptly appropriate? Strangely it was in a way." Solpha smiles with a nod.

"I can imagine that it was Sam. The only way I can describe a type two individual is constantly walking around on a warm softly carpeted but highly unstable floor above a pool of ice cold water. You never know when it will break, the only guarantee is you know it will at some point. Solpha is certainly best described that way."

"This is one thing I have not had a straight answer about. Do either of you know what being a type two individual means?"

"I should do as I have worked long enough in medical centres; I also am one which helps as well. It is a genetic mutation which has several changes but the type two collection has three similar but distinct maps, dominant and recessive A, and B. A individuals get heightened confidence from curiosity. This is usually in the form of environmental questions and they have a bias towards involving bondmates, partners or friends. Dominant individuals can make these niggling mental questions at any time and generally do not mind if it is in the middle of a city or in their own home. Recessive individuals prefer to experiment in private due to a dislike for undue attention. Type B individuals want to see how they handle any kind of environment and generally are defined as an excessive need of attention. That is not to mean they are uncaring but they are generally very trusting individuals."

"Recessive A sounds to me like the only kind of individual you could really live with. That is entirely my own opinion from what I have heard and if you are one of the others Solpha then I intended no offence."

"I am a recessive A individual Sam. Aphrina however is aware quiet public areas are ok for me which is not always the case for recessive individuals."

"What is the worst thing you have done Solpha? I am curious as Hymara was unnerved with what Athya did with Sam." Solpha looks to Aphrina.

"A few years ago Solpha decided it would be fun to meet me walking back home from work. Next thing I can remember is waking up, bound and blindfolded in an unknown location. What did not help how scary it was is that Ulantha, Aphrina's friend was the only individual who spoke and I did not know her at the time. They both took advantage of my position before finally letting me out. I still get a slight anxious feeling when I walk back home Selayla but it was quite fun when I found out I was safe afterwards. What did you do to Sam Athya?"

"I attempted to drown him in the bath."

"It was less of an attempt and more actually doing so but deciding to spare me when I needed to breathe Aphrina. What I think really scared Hymara and Lianta was they were in the bathroom at the time and it would have been highly embarassing if something would have happened."

"Athya was only more of a tease to me Sam but that may have been down to being so restricted in what we could do."

"I know about that Aphrina. I was also rather privilaged to read the first conversation between you two on Friday. Ami still has the documentation on a datapad and she cautiously trusted me in reading it."

"I am most surprised you still have that conversation Athya."

"I try to save my files to other places Aphrina. Fortunately I had the opportunity to do so when going to visit my mother on Thessia otherwise it would have been gone by now. I hope you do not mind that I kept the files."

"They were on your pad and so are yours Athya. I assume you did not come back because your mother took you out of servitude?"

"Unfortunately not soon enough. She said that she would in a years time as she was just settling with a new bondmate and finding a new home. Little did I know that within weeks she would be dead and I would be in Nos Astra medical facility." Amistathya sighs before cuddling up to Sam.

"What happened Athya?"

"She ended up being taken to Omega instead of back to Illium Solpha. There they tormented, abused and ended up almost killing her. Those memories are ones that will be a constant stain on my mind. I will skip a little and say her next job was going nowhere and giving little hope that she ended up back at Nos Astra medical facility again after attempting suicide."

"I am upset to hear that you had become so depressed Athya as you were usually the one who tried cheering me up after a bad day."

"I think Ami would prefer that we did not dwell too much on her past unfortunately Aphrina. I know you would like to hear it and I think Ami would like to talk but the memories are a little too new if you know what I mean."

"I think I do Sam. So how did you two actually meet as we heard that it was at Galactic Acceptance on Thessia?"

"That I can elaborate on Aphrina. I did not know at the time but Galactic Acceptance got me to visit Ami because of me getting along with Adastra. Since they both have the same condition and Adastra was rather well known for keeping individuals at arms length. They seemed to think that I may find a way to communicate with Ami as she was not willing to talk to anyone. That week I must say was a tough one and not easily endured at times. I had my first day at work, got my own Omni-tool, met Ami in a padded room and I had to really fight for her trust. That was before her wishing to be my servant, having her past briefly explained to me and melding for the first time. Do make sure to never meld with someone who should be on the dangerous list is all I can say in relation to the meld."

"So Athya is on the dangerous list Sam?"

"She was not at the time of the meld but we were both added shortly afterwards which causes some silly legal issues. Before you ask I must say that I did know that she should be on the list in advance and I was warned that it would not be pleasant. Ami did however seem to like me and I like her happy but quiet personality along with her unique body. It was not an easy decision but I have no regrets from making it, only that I would have preferred to know more first."

"I do admit that you both look happy with each other."

"We definitely are Solpha but I really wish sometimes that Athya did not play with my mind so much." Aphrina smiles.

"I know that feeling so very well Sam, much more so after meeting Solpha."

"Would you be willing to say how you two met?"

"I met Aphrina after arriving on Nos Astra and not knowing where anything was Silana. I just wished to have some directions but she insisted on showing me in person. I was coming to work in Nos Astra medical facility in their maternity unit as it was understaffed and the pay was better than I was getting in Esavi. Anyway, I was rather bemused by Aphrina's over enthusiasm to be helpful until she told me that she used to be a servant and now guided visitors around the city to earn a few credits for food."

"I believe I asked if you had a partner who was to join you for the night or did you wish to have some company."

"I asked if you had anywhere to sleep to which you replied that you did not. I went to my apartment that had been rented for my arrival with Aphrina who was, and still is, a diligent and friendly individual who never seemed to mind my type two strangeness. I know it was because of you Athya." She gives Solpha a nod and a slight smile.

"Where is Esavi Solpha?"

"Thessia Sam. It is a small city on the Aphris coast and is very close to the equator and so is generally hot. It is very much a tourist city and regularly has an influx of visitors from the major cities as winter effects Serrice and then Armali and Thermay."

"I have been there a few times, it has a couple of wonderful beaches and rather inviting scenery."

"It does Yasmari. It also has quite a high populous of light blue skinned Asari. That and the fact I am rather tall sometimes makes me get a little too much attention."

"I assume that was how Aphrina first met you Solpha so I would not see it as a problem. Are you as tall as I am as I cannot tell when you are sitting down." Solpha stands up. Amistathya gets up off Sam's knee letting him stand and approach Solpha. "Which of us is taller?" Sam looking to the three Asari on the sofa.

"Solpha is a little Sam. I assume you are asking because you are still wondering what you could get clothing wise?"

"I am Selayla as I need to find something to wear sometime in the future. The fact that Solpha is taller than I am gives me a little hope."

"Not on Illium Sam. I cannot find anything for individuals taller than a hundred and seventy five centimetres. I am a hundred and eighty two (~6'0") which makes everything look to small." Sam gets out his Omni-tool to try and work out how tall he is. "I am however fine for shoes, underwear and some skirts. Certain dresses can sometimes be ok but it is very design dependant. Aphrina and I generally go to Thessia a couple of times a year and I get my clothing there as it is much less hassle."

"I should be about a hundred and eighty (~5'11") which I assume is still going to be a problem."

"I would advise you to skip Illium unless you are after the basics in that case Sam. It really is not worth the hassle of wearing something too small. You may as well feel happy knowing it is the correct size for you."

"Well I sent a message to a designer in Serrice who I hope can come up with something good for me. Selayla said a skirt would probably be ok for me. I would half agree given the general climate on Illium is warm enough."

"Only half Sam?"

"It is more that I like the idea but I have a slight reservation Selayla. Do you two think a skirt would be ok for me?"

"If it is the most practical item to wear then I cannot see why not Sam. Asari either use clothing to look good where exposing too much of your body could be seen by others as a problem or for purely practical reasons otherwise. I have found from many hours on the Esavi beaches that a short skirt with no underwear and a bra is the best practical solution for me. You get very few sand problems as the majority of it drops out and yet it keeps you cool. Most tend to choose a thong or brief if they are to wear clothing but both of those have the problem with sand getting caught in them."

"I only asked as Kate had a little laugh at the idea yesterday Solpha." Sam pauses and seems to think of something. "Ami, could you stand next to Solpha for a moment as I am trying to imagine the size difference between you two and failing."

"How tall are you Athya? I find it difficult to gauge size when I am generally taller than most."

"A hundred and sixty five centimetres (~5'5") Solpha." Amistathya looking up at the much taller Asari. "I mean no offence but I find you quite intimidating given your height Solpha. Sam is a little softer looking with his hair and I feel is a good height for me."

"I do see that when you are sitting on Sam's knee that you are not much taller."

"I think Ami is quite used to having individuals taller than herself around. Do you know how tall the average Asari is Solpha?"

"The average adult size is a hundred and seventy one centimetres (~5'7") according to the Asari Republics Sam with ninety percent of the populous being between a hundred and sixty five (~5'5") and a hundred and seventy five (~5'9"). The most common height is a hundred and seventy two centimetres."

"I can understand why a hundred and eighty and above is a problem in that case. I have not looked but is there clothing in your size Ami that is not for children?"

"A hundred and sixty five is generally the smallest adult size Sam but that hardly bothers me. As you know I have not bought clothes in a shop for many decades."

"I do admit that you look like you have shrunk a little when you stand next to Solpha and Sam Athya. Would everyone like a drink as I am a little thirsty and going to make one?" Sam, Solpha, Selayla, Yasmari and Amistathya nod.

"I would indeed appreciate a drink Silana. Where do you get your dresses from then if you do not buy them Athya as they look unique?"

"I had a special transparent dress made just after Sam and I had met. Sam wanted to see me wearing something other than white baggy clothing as he said that it was hardly an expression of myself. He and I liked the design so I have had several different variations made on that design."

"Ami does look rather remarkable in that nearly transparent dress Aphrina. Although while I have markings on my mind again I hear that you have tattoos."

"I do Sam. They are under my breasts to make them look a little larger and from either side of my knees to my hips. The one on the inside of each leg twists around the back of the leg to join the other at the hip. One of my past owners had them put on me 'to make me look presentable' in her words. She was not at all happy about my body looking visually flat."

"You do not sound particularly positive about them Aphrina?"

"I am just aware that Asari can be rather temperamental when it comes to tattoos Yasmari. I sometimes feel they would be better removed and other days I feel happy to show them off. Solpha likes them in case you were about to ask why I have not removed them." Aphrina pulls up her skirt and turns around to show Sam the back of her legs.

"They do not look too intrusive Aphrina but I guess the fact they are a rather bright red means that sometimes it is difficult to like them."

"Some days it does Sam."

"Athya, please take the gift from the table but please open it later." Solpha gesturing to the box sitting on the corner of the table near to Sam and Amistathya. "I hope both yourself and Sam find it ok as it was Aphrina's choice even if it was a joint decision. She seems to see you both as more of a good friend than a new acquaintance so please bear this in mind."

"Are you trying to say is that it is more of a joke gift than something normal Solpha?"

"No but it may be something that you may not typically give an acquaintance." He nods before noticing that Silana was just finishing preparing the drinks and so goes to help her carry them across.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I have never noticed this before but it seems like Salarian ship designs just do not like flying upside down."

"I assume you noticed that from the fact that the Salarian teams always take gate twelve in the normal orientation whereas the others do not?"

"Exactly. I am just confused as to why as the ships look perfectly capable in an aerodynamic sense."

"You should ask Matriarch Kaphira this evening Adastra."

"I think I will as that has intrigued me now."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Ami, I can see you are eager now to know what it is since you know it is different. Since we are off out this evening then you may as well open it now." She leans forward and carefully picks up the box from the table. "You look a little purple Aphrina."

"I may have made an incorrect assumption or made an incorrect choice but I hope have not."

"I am intrigued as well now. Come on Ami at least show me." She turns around to face Sam and removes the item from the box. She hands Sam the bottle and he quickly reads the label before looking that the blue one on his knee. "Do you think it is ok for you?" Amistathya nods. "I bet you three are dying to know what it is."

"Not particularly Sam."

"Do you both feel it is suitable?" Sam twists the top to open the container and gives it a smell, a soft smell of honeysuckle greeting him.

"Would either you or Solpha describe what it is as I think I get the premise but the smell is confusing me?"

"It is a thin gel which adds a little extra to physical interaction. Aphrina went on your tribal markings and her past interaction with you Athya to suggest it. We had to guess as to why your lips are black Athya and assumed your skin is a little sensitive. That was what was giving us the biggest doubts."

"It is and I am easily bruised... Could I ask what this one does as exotic starlight is not very helpful?"

"It has a slight cool feel as well as its light smell Athya. Why does the smell confuse you Sam?"

"It says cerose fruit on the ingredients list and yet it smells quite like honey suckle, all one word and in that order." Everyone else in the room cracks a smile at that. "It is the name of a flower on my home world and not what the words mean in separation and they are not the other way around."

"Honeysuckle." Amistathya saying in English before having a smell at the container. "I just wish I could smell better than I can so I had a good idea."

"I assume for the same reason as the tasting issue?" The blue one nods. "At least it is not quite as strong as the flower smell which makes it pleasant." Sam looks around the others. "What?"

"That is a very strange name for a flower."

"Just be thankful it is not suckle honey as that would be so much worse Yasmari, especially so if you realise that honey is sometimes used as an affectionate name for a partner in my species."

"I think you should consider quietly moving on Sam."

"I think so as well Silana. I will certainly get a message to you both once we have had time to try it. You however did not have to bring anything just for being invited."

"It is only polite to do so and it is rather a privilege to speak to you Sam. It has also been interesting, especially when you can come up with such amusing word combinations that I have never heard before."

"I dislike translations where my language has multiple meanings for a word and Asari does not Solpha. I can abuse my languages versatility to get around problems the other way. I think the best nearest translation for the flower now I have thought about it is, grows and cares for a sweet smell. It is too late to prevent the awkward moment now though."

"I mean no offence by this Sam but it is nice to know that you are not some unapproachable and perfect individual. The media seem to have that illusion."

"How do they explain me having to pay a fine for the ritual then?"

"That you paid it so that you appear to be normal."

"I wish that was true Solpha but unfortunately it is not. Do you still work at the medical centre?"

"I am still there Sam as I like the work. It is a pleasant job to see new life entering the galaxy. The only issue I have with staying on Illium is going to be if Aphrina and I decide to have a daughter. I would prefer not to bring her up here as education is not that good if you cannot afford the high costs for better tuition."

"I was having the same discussion with Ami not long ago. I was however most worried about a daughter of ours ending up in servitude though more than education. The only problem that we have is being stuck in a five year contract. I also have a feeling Ami is not going to be an Asari with patience."

"I think your bigger issue would be with how others view your relationship Sam. The media are sometimes rather outspoken on information they uncover."

"I stopped reading the news early on and I think Hymara and Lianta did as well. I would be interested in knowing what they say though Solpha. I know they dislike me being with Ami though."

"There is this air of things not being correct Sam. The fact you mutually left Armali council and there is no definitive reason as to why. The fact you now work at Sentix Spaceworks but you are attacked on your first day at work. The fact you are not with an Asari who the media feel would better match to you. There are doubts that everything is as it seems."

"Armali got rid of me as I wanted to stay with Ami and they were a little weary of Ami being a possible security concern. They are still friendly to us and while I think it was a ridiculous decision they have done well to calm my initial annoyance. Sentix were the only company willing to employ Ami with me but Liphanya does not like me. She seems to think that because I am well known then I cannot have a proper job. I am sure you will understand when I say that I am very honoured to have a unique bondmate like Ami."

"I do but only vaguely, I am sure Aphrina knows better than I do. I do appreciate the other answers as it removes a lot of the wild speculation. Someone from the medical centre thought that you had left Armali because they thought you were taking secrets for your species government." Sam laughs.

"I do not even know if I will in my lifetime get the opportunity to go back Solpha so that is beyond ridiculous."

"Would you like to see some of my markings?"

"If you are happy to offer then I would Athya." She turns around and gives Sam a smile before jumping off his knee and going upstairs. "While we wait I have a question for you Silana. Is it any different having Sam as your owner to any others you have had?"

"The biggest difference is having Athya around Solpha. I have had one other fairly good owner but Sam is much friendlier." Sam's Omni-tool beeps and he takes a quick look at his inbox.

"It is ok I will read it later, it is just a reply back from my contact on Thessia about clothing. I hope that can get resolved quickly."

"It will Sam." Amistathya talking as she potters down the stairs in only a pair of transparent shorts. "I apologise for my brown tinged breasts. That was Sam's fault for bruising them."

"It was as we had a little fun with Seliha and Adastra on Friday. Fortunately Ami is not too bothered by the deliberate bruising."

"You look a little different to how I remember you Athya but you look well." She gives Aphrina a small smile and a nod.

"It is an honour to be able to see you in person Athya. The same to you as well Sam. I also hope that you both enjoy the gift."

"I am sure that we will Solpha. I assume that you wish to leave?"

"I do at least as I am on an early shift tomorrow morning unfortunately unlike Aphrina. I have lots to do before going to bed so if you do not mind then I would like to do so."

"I understand Solpha." Sam gets up off his chair at the same time as Solpha and Aphrina stand from the sofa. Solpha gives Sam a hug first followed by Aphrina. "If you wish to give Athya a hug then please be very careful."

"It was nice to finally meet you again after such a long time Athya."

"I am glad that I am even here Aphrina so meeting you again does make me happy." She gives a nod to Amistathya.

"It was good to meet you three as well today and I do hope that we can meet again sometime."

"I am sure that can be arranged Solpha. I hope you have a good day tomorrow."

"I am sure that I will Sam." He nods to the two of them as they leave the apartment and go into the lift.

"Busy day. I think the next job is to get everything tidied away and then to have something to eat before the others come around.

"I am not sure we know what is happening Sam."

"Selayla is distracted by Ami is what is happening Yasmari." She suddenly seems to begin paying attention which only makes Sam shake his head. "Seliha and Adastra are to come around later before we all go to the second day of a ship race. I am not sure if Kate and Fosanta are going but if they are then I assume Silana will be driving the skycar as we will not all fit in a shuttle."

"I understand now." Sam nods before helping Silana move the mugs from the table.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Did you get the messages sent to everyone about what was discussed this morning?"

"Eventually Adastra. I feel happier that something was done this weekend. I assume that you watched the race from last night?"

"We did. I noticed that the Salarian ships did not take gates upside down so I am going to ask someone why this evening. Yalon group is first although I forget the pilots name. Garik comes to mind but I may be wrong."

"When are we to be leaving Adastra?"

"After we have eaten Kate as I would hate to be late for my flight."

"We should make something in that case so that we can leave." Adastra nods to Fosanta and they all head to the kitchen to make their evening meal.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam quickly has a look at his Omni-tool as the five of them wait for the others to arrive on the sofas.

_Sam,_

_Fosanta was correct in that I find excitement in a challenge and none more so than in the one you have given me. My apologies to you if I get any of the words for your differing anatomical features incorrect but I do not have an easily accessible list available to me. I am sure that most Asari would guide you down a path of trying to make your body seem more Asari-like but I feel that would be misguiding you and showing a lack of imagination. My initial thoughts, advice and opinions are in the following paragraphs._

_For you the concept of a single item of clothing would be inappropriate. I know that is simple advice but from various media images and the one you supplied (could you have been any more of a tease in that?) it does not suit neither your body nor character. The T-shirt you are seen most often wearing is an obvious but great choice for your top half and can easily be used under a long sleeved outer garment to give further warmth in cooler weather. I am assuming that you were already mostly aware of this advice but it is more of a sizing issue for you than a lack of choice. There are other options open to you as well for tops but you seem to favour practicality over something too elaborate, fiddly or time consuming so they are likely not attractive options._

_Your bottom half is however an interesting issue to solve while keeping practicality first. I would recommend that you stay with trousers for cooler environments and forgo shorts in favour of a loosely gathered skirt in most situations. I know the latter would be a bit of an odd suggestion but my theory goes with the following, the less that water would be impeded on the legs the simpler the item covering them should be. That rule does not follow for something which entirely covers the legs but does for shorts and skirts. Your legs would make water take a wildly adventurous route, one which is never exactly set given the fibrous like appearance. A loosely gathered skirt would change shape with movement and if it was a light colour with a dark pattern then I think it would be rather appealing on you with a simple t-shirt. The pattern on it would however have to be correct and that I would have to work on further. With trousers anything that is a plain or perhaps two colour material (as long as both colours were fairly alike and not contrasting) would be entirely appropriate._

_That is my advice to you Sam. If you wish I can make up to two items to show you an example of my work on a visit before committing to anything. You may also feel happy enough at this point in time to commit to having a small order made. If you are then please do specify what you need and any preferences you have from colour to materials. You can find what materials I have on the extranet if you look for Sayus Design. Once I have your request I will produce a price for you at which point you can say whether to proceed or not._

_I hope you found the information useful and I hope to at least have a visit from you at some point if you are ever in Serrice. Please also say to Fosanta that she also needs to see me as it has been too long since we last met._

_Enavana Sayus, Sayus Design._

"I am surprised Enavana did not break the extranet with that message. She has certainly been thorough at working through ideas though. It is also amusing to see Enavana agree with you Selayla."

"Could I read through it and see what I think?"

"Of course Ami." Sam pulls her up to the side of him and begins to scroll through the long message on the small display.

"Was there anything else in the message or just an agreement with me Sam?"

"I would like it to be a surprise Selayla." She nods as Amistathya gets to the end of the message. She seems to ponder something. "What are you thinking Ami?"

"That I feel we must visit her while we are in Serrice."

"You are not trying to imagine what I would look like are you?" She smiles.

"Could I send a message back to her to make a meeting for two weeks tomorrow?"

"You seem overly keen suddenly, I assume you like what you are imagining." Ami nods. "Ok but no pink before your enthusiasm gives you silly ideas."

"I was thinking bright yellow as it seemed to suit you after your shower."

"Please do not be mean Ami."

"I know what you prefer Sam and I hope you can trust me."

"You were bright yellow Sam?"

"The shower gel that makes Asari green makes me bright yellow which is not a good colour Yasmari." She nods to Sam as the door chime rings out. Silana goes to answer as Sam forwards the message he received to Amistathya. "You have the message Ami, if you add a reply to it then Enavana will remember what the previous message was." She nods before opening her Omni-tool. "Hello everyone. It feels like someone has fitted a revolving door to this apartment today." Kate laughs as the Asari look confused. "It means that as soon as someone leaves someone else arrives. I am really not doing well on translation today."

"You always seem to forget that even those of us who know your language do not necessarily know its meanings."

"Just be thankful you were not around to hear my earlier attempt Seliha. Are we all ready to leave?"

"We are I think Sam." He nods to Kate and they all begin to make their way to the shuttle or skycar.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

The fifteen individuals all group up in the Nos Xanthi desert after exiting their transportation. "Where are we to go Adastra."

"Follow me." Adastra and Seliha take the lead and begin to walk towards the checkpoint.

"I am glad that you can concentrate now on where you are walking Ami." Sam noting that she had just finished her message."

"I needed to add everything into one message." Sam nods.

"Good evening everyone. If you have an invite or a pass already then please show me before proceeding through. If you do not then I have several to give out but I would like to thin the crowd a little." Adastra, Seliha, Imphaya, Aumarva, Sam, Amistathya and Silana all show Tarus their passes or invites before going through. "Kate and Fosanta, you will receive a message in a few minutes with your invites but you two may also go through." They do so and join the others waiting just inside for everyone to get through. "I am glad that you all turned up together. You six may also go through and will also get your passes messaged to you shortly. I hope you all have a good evening."

They all again follow Seliha and Adastra who seemed to have an eagerness to find Matriarch Kaphira.

"Well this is quite an impressive build to make a temporary dock for sixteen ships."

"Look into the air Sam as you can see the gates." Kate looking skywards instead of where she is walking as she bumps into Kalawa. "Oops."

"You have plenty of time to look later Kate."

"I am sorry Kalawa but it is a bit different to see little splashes of colour in the night sky." Kalawa nods with a slight smile as Matriarch Kaphira notices them all approaching and so leaves her small building.

"A good evening to you all. I am Matriarch Kaphira if Adastra has not already told you all by now. Adastra, we must go to prepare the ship for the test flight. Everyone else is free to come to the docks and talk to the others if they wish."

"I think we will do that Matriarch."

"I have a question for you after watching last nights racing this afternoon Matriarch Kaphira."

"What would that be Adastra?"

"Do you know why the Salarian ships do not take gates upside down?"

"Salarian ships cannot manoeuvre easily if they are vertically on their side Adastra as they use element zero cores heavily for steering. The gate that most pilots took upside down yesterday lead into the following gate sideways as the ship had to be rolled. It was preferred by their team to fly it in a standard way accepting a slight time loss in favour of a faster following gate as they had no need to roll."

"Why would anyone design a ship with no real wings then?"

"Salarian designs have always been a collection of smooth shapes with no real wings Sam. They do much better than you would expect without wings."

"Imphaya is correct Sam. The rules are designed to allow almost any design of ship to compete and I have seen some awful designs in my time piloting in races. I even flew one of them myself and I vowed to never fly it again after the wings stalled in a turn."

"I will let you two get on with flying while I think of more possibly inappropriate questions Matriarch Kaphira. I am doing well today so I may as well continue." She nods to Sam before walking up the ramp to the ship with Adastra.

"What did you mean earlier by I should be glad that I was not around earlier?"

"Ami and I got a little gift from Aphrina and her bondmate Seliha which reminded me of a flower from my home world. Instead of trying to translate the name into something appropriate I split this flowers name and translated both words individually. The result got a few smiles at least."

"What flower Sam?"

"I will say in English and I assume you can realise the problem Kate. Honeysuckle." Kate laughs a little. "Yes I translated it to honey suckle which seemed to cause some entertainment."

"That is the name of a flower?" Sam sighs.

"No Swathana. If you translate both of those words into English and put them together it is. In Asari it just does not work at all as suckle only has one meaning and not two. Grows and cares for a sweet smell is a slightly better translation but I was not thinking."

"I am glad that you have made the inappropriate comment first Sam."

"In front of two individuals who I had only known an hour or so as well Kate. Still Solpha was understanding and seemed to find it useful to show I am not some unapproachable individual. I assume you and Lianta felt a little left out this afternoon Hymara."

"Not particularly, it was rather pleasant to sit in the garden for a change." Sam laughs as Matriarch Kaphira's ship leaves the dock to begin its trip around the evenings course.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

_Enavana,_

_Sam seemed rather impressed by your detailed message and we would both be rather interested in meeting you on the 13th of March in the evening if that is ok with you. I would quite like to ask if you could also make some items for myself as being quite small limits my choice. I have attached a 3d model of myself and my requirements. I have also placed a list on the file of things that Sam wishes to have. I have been vague on the material list and some colours as I believe that I should allow your evident knowledge to create something excellent for him. If you would kindly keep the lists contents from Sam then I would appreciate it as I would like it to be a surprise. If you were wondering then I am not but I do have plans and so I am thinking ahead._

_Thank you._

_Amistathya._

"I assume another client or was it Sam sending you more images."

"I doubt that I would get any more even if I asked Inphia. It was however Amistathya with a request for something for herself and Sam's requests."

"Oh, Sam's bondmate. Are they coming to visit at some time?"

"Two weeks tomorrow in an evening I believe. That should give plenty of time to complete their order and have it completed for their visit."

"I think I should be here to see them which should be good. Why did Sam's bondmate reply back and not Sam himself?"

"It seems she wishes to surprise Sam with a few things which is fairly understandable to be honest."

"I agree. Are you having a late night again or would you be joining me to sleep at a fairly normal time this evening?"

"I just have a couple of messages to send and then I will be with you." Inphia nods before leaving Enavana to compose the messages and send them.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"That was rather exciting." Adastra with a big smile on her face as they make their way back to the dock.

"Given the look on your face I sense that this is something you would like to do."

"Of course. I am not sure if I would be competitive as I got disorientated a few times but it would be fun."

"That feeling subsides appreciably when you are the pilot Adastra. There will still be times when confusion happens but that is only improved with practice. I am sure if you are to speak to Matriarch Lasala later then you may be able to bring up wishing to fly." Kaphira speaking as she docks the ship smoothly.

"I may do that. I must thank you for this opportunity though."

"Again, it was no problem Adastra. We should get back so that we can watch the race." Adastra nods and follows Kaphira from the ship and down the ramp to the dock where the others had waited.

"It looked like fun from down here Adastra."

"It was Fosanta. I admit I think that Kaphira spent more time upside down than was necessary as I got disorientated a few times."

"Did you do that deliberately Kaphira?"

"My style of racing was to prefer flying the ship on its side as it is the most manoeuvrable then. Doing so necessitates more upside down flying than you may see later but that is just how I fly Seliha." She nods seemingly happy that she was not deliberately trying to scare Adastra.

"Can I ask who is to go first in the race?" Sam asking as they begin to walk back to the technical area of the docks.

"The ships fly in the same order as they finished after yesterday Sam. The reason is that the fastest individual has less time to plan their route and it therefore levels the field a little."

"So it could well be an advantage to finish second or third after the first day Kaphira?"

"Sometimes it is due to that slight advantage Adastra but the time of day and changing air density can sometimes make more of a difference for varying reasons."

"So that is not the reason Cyone Astro-Engineering is second then?"

"I cannot say Adastra even though the answer will be obvious to every other team." Adastra nods knowing that was just a long winded way of saying yes. "It is likely that you would get the best view from here if you wished to watch. I must go back to my room but unfortunately it would be too small for you all."

"We will watch from here and then say hello at the end before going to meet Matriarch Lasala." She bows her head to Adastra's plan before making her way to her technical room leaving the fifteen of them on the top of a small mound that was between the flat area of the docks and the slightly raised area where the administration and technical buildings were.

"I am going to take a seat. I know it is a bit dusty but it will be fine." Sam sitting down and the rest follow to begin to observe the race. Adastra and Inphaya providing helpful answers to others questions as the race unfolded and luminous gate debris dropped from the sky after being hit.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I get the feeling Yalon Group won Adastra." Inphaya noticing the celebrations happening around their docks.

"It is difficult to know being here as we do not have any information. We should ask Kaphira before going to speak to Matriarch Lasala." Adastra gets up in a decisive fashion which gets everyone else to do likewise. Everyone takes the short walk at a leisurely pace given the warm climate in Nos Xanthi. Even though it was late in the evening and the sun had set almost three hour hours ago it was still warm.

Kaphira greets the fifteen of them as they approach. "It is a pity we were second by one point three seconds as that is a trivial amount. I feel it was a good course though."

"I thought it was quite good that the ships have lights down the sides so that you can see them. It adds something to something I am not sure would hold my interest as well."

"I entirely agree Kate and this is one of my favourite races of the year so it is good that you have decided to visit. The same goes for the rest of you as well and it was a pleasure to meet you again Adastra."

"The same to you Kaphira. I hope that I can do this again at sometime in the future."

"I am sure that I could make some arrangements for the Aphris Coast race on Thessia at the end of the year Adastra." Kaphira sees Adastra become visibly excited by that possibility. "I will give you a message if I do. I must however wish you all well until we next meet as I must help the team begin to pack everything away." The group give their parting sentiments or nods to Kaphira before beginning to make their way to the administration building.

There were no media present at the buildings entrance, supposedly too busy interviewing the race winner and their team. The fifteen of them enter the administration building and Matriarch Lasala stands from her desk to greet the influx of individuals. "It is a pleasure to meet you all after such a good race. I am Matriarch Lasala if we have not met before."

"I cannot understand you being in happy mood given your team had not won Matriarch."

"When we have no complaints after two difficult course designs Seliha it has been a good race no matter who has won. It would of course have been better had Cyone Astro-Engineering won but we did not unfortunately." Seliha nods. "Please do follow me upstairs where we can all sit and talk." They all walk up the open staircase to their left and get to the top of the stairs to see two large rooms. Matriarch Lasala walks towards the one at the front of the building. "Please do make yourselves comfortable."

"I am surprised to see you here Usarta."

"I could say the same Adastra given what happened last week. You do look much happier Seliha but we will discuss that tomorrow at Armali."

"Would someone like to explain what is happening here?"

"Armali Council have a class two licence and one for providing thrusters to the sport. Armali however have never done anything with these for decades. Imagine our surprise when Adastra and Seliha turned up in an Armali shuttle yesterday Sam. Then yourself, Amistathya and Silana do so from Sentix Spaceworks which intrigues me."

"I am just here to have a look around Matriarch Lasala. If any of you wish to make an agreement with Sentix then you will need to talk to Olissa."

"I heard about this yesterday Usarta. Why have you not done anything with it?"

"We have never had a need to promote our products Adastra."

"I am confused as to why you are here Usarta."

"Matriarch Lasala invited me to visit and discuss options Kate. Armali are still of the position that we do not wish to fund a team as we are not like Cyone Astro-Engineering who can do everything themselves, from thruster design to ship construction. Armali Council also do not wish to become too entangled in ship building and propulsion as we already have bio-amplification and Omni-tools."

"I am sure that Adastra would happily pilot the ship if you did make a team Usarta."

"Adastra and a few other pilots of ours would be excellent for a team Imphaya. That is not the issue we have. The biggest issue we face is if we partner with Sentix Spaceworks for example then it would be costly to us as the hull is likely to need upgrading regularly. Given this cost it is likely to not be economical for us to enter."

"Do you have any old class three ships that are to be scrapped Usarta? I ask as it would be fairly trivial to entirely strip the internals, upgrade the flight control systems and push a couple of plasma thrusters in. It would mean no extra investment was needed for the hull and it would be at least a start to a team. That is of course if you wish to support a team."

"I could see that option Sam but I feel the council would not approve of a team under the Armali Council name." Sam nods as Amistathya decides to curl up on his knee. "As I said earlier propulsion is not something we are well known for and is only a minor percentage of all income. It is only helpful to us as a test for manufacturing techniques which can then be applied to bioamps."

"Are you tired Athya?" She looks over her shoulder to Kate.

"I am. I will just be quiet until we leave."

"You are more than welcome to leave if you wish Amistathya." She looks to Sam with a curious smile on her face.

"I think Ami just needs a little rest Matriarch Lasala. We will stay until the others wish to leave. I do have a question though. If you wanted competition then surely a point to point style race with two or more ships simultaneously would be better?"

"You would probably be correct Sam but for class three light the best place for such a race on Illium would be through Nos Astra. That would not be safe for anyone and I doubt routes will be closed just for a race."

"Nos Parnalo is abandoned and would likely be as good a choice as Nos Astra."

"Nos Parnalo?" Kate wondering why she had never heard of this place before.

"It is an abandoned city here on Illium Kate and it was abandoned due to toxicity reasons. It is possible to visit parts of the city but only with a guide as some areas are still not entirely safe. The cleanup costs were considered much too high so it is only through the natural degradation of the toxins that some areas are now safe." Kate nods to Matriarch Lasala. "Are you suggesting Nos Parnalo for any reason Usarta?"

"While Armali Council would probably disapprove of a team I am sure that they would agree to support a one off event. I feel Sam's idea has some merit for being exciting and different, an abandoned city would help enhance those traits as well."

"I feel I would have to discuss this proposal with the council at length which is a little unfortunate. A simpler proposal and I may have been able to give an answer this evening."

"At least if you are going to rest on my knee at least behave yourself." Sam looking at Amistathya's soft innocent face. "Sorry everyone."

"It sounds as if Sam and Athya wish to leave and also that this discussion cannot proceed any further at the moment. Matriarch Lasala, would you kindly keep me informed of the decision you reach."

"I will Usarta. I should have a preliminary decision by Thursday or Friday. It is then only the details which need to be arranged before the final approval."

"It has been an interesting two evenings and I feel Adastra has really enjoyed them."

"It has not been an issue at all Seliha. If you contact Matriarch Kaphira in the future Adastra she should be able to arrange passes ahead of time so that it is much less of a problem for everyone."

"I will and as Seliha said I have really enjoyed the last two evenings. I do however feel it would be best that we leave now as tomorrow is a busy day at work."

"I thank you all for visiting in that case and I do hope to see you all again in the future." All of the room's occupants stand and begin to make their way back to their transport.

"I will give you and Seliha a message in the morning about the meeting Adastra. It will likely be after lunch though."

"That sounds ok to me Usarta." Adastra sees Sam give Amistathya a playful nudge. "Sam, what is the problem?"

"Ami is just being a bit of a deviant tease Adastra. I am sure that a quick shower before an early night would be best as the tiredness has sent someone silly."

"I think we will all be doing the same Sam as it is quite late now." Fosanta joining in with the conversation as Kate watches the teams beginning to pack everything away in the temporary docking area as they make their way back home.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**A long time between updates but the second longest chapter as compensation. I had hoped to have chapters 56 and 57 done in rather quick succession but personal and family situations prevented that unfortunately. This story has not been abandoned and work still continues on it even if nothing gets posted for a while. **

**I have attempted to make Asari heights in this story similar to how they are portrayed in the games but unlike the games I can never imagine a universal height as that would be ridiculous.**

**The next chapter will be available whenever it is finished, I am not sure I can even guess when that will be at the moment.**

**Reviews are always appreciated if you have a spare moment to give your thoughts.**

**I do appreciate the patience and for continuing to read the story.**


	58. Chapter 58 : Learning The Ride

**Chapter 58 – Learning The Ride**

* * *

><p><strong>Monday 27th February 2017<strong>

Everyone in the house was sat in the kitchen having their breakfast when Seliha's Omni-tool beeps.

_Seliha,_

_I would like to see you and Adastra at one this afternoon to discuss various things. I did over the weekend think about options for you as I stated on Friday._

_Have a good morning._

_Usarta_

"Our meeting with Usarta is at one Adastra. I hope I do not get a silly proposal."

"I doubt that you will Seliha as Usarta seems to know what she is doing.

"Kate is probably right Seliha and I will be there as well. I would not worry too much and just try to have an easy morning." Seliha nods to Adastra. "Are you two going to Armali later today?" Fosanta looks to Kate for the answer.

"No as I unfortunately have a meeting at nine. I like it better when they are a bit later as mornings are less of a rush when that is the case."

"I probably could have later mornings as well but I quite like my work on the big thruster at the moment, even if it is a little tedious with technicalities."

"How is that progressing Adastra?"

"I would say we should be finished in about a week Fosanta. That should mean that we have a test device about three weeks from now, and if all goes well, we should have a second made a week before they should be moved to Sentix for installation."

"Having only a week spare is not long."

"It is not Kate but hopefully we should not have any driver board issues with this model as we have strengthened the confinement and doubled the driver boards."

"I have no idea really what that helps with Adastra."

"Confinement stops the plasma from touching the walls or being ejected before it is energetic enough. The driver boards are what energise the gas into a plasma via a coil antenna." Kate nods.

"I think we should consider leaving before you make anyone else confused with power amplifiers or fluid dynamics Adastra."

"It is not quite a fluid but I get the point Fosanta." The four of them wash their breakfast dishes before leaving for work.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam, Amistathya, Silana, Selayla and Yasmari were walking down the corridor in Sentix from the main entrance to a meeting with Olissa in her office. "I am beginning to hate walking down this corridor. Every time I do I feel this ominous feeling."

"I have a little uncertainty as well Sam, but then again Liphanya has made my life difficult on many occasions before."

"I do hope you can defend your corner this time if you have to do so Silana. You are no longer owned by Sentix so say whatever you feel." Sam turns to Silana who nods before knocking on Olissa's door. Olissa soon opens the door.

"I am rather glad you are all on time as there is a lot to cover this morning. Please come in and take a seat." The five of them do so taking the seats opposite Liphanya who was already waiting at the table. "I typically dislike having to mediate between individuals who should know how to get along with each other. After talking to a few hull workers who were close enough to hear your conversation last week, I got the feeling Sam was being reasonable. This is not going to be a discussion about the use of biotics and who did what as I feel that is a waste of time. To eliminate a lot of bad feelings and tedium I will say that you may continue as you did last week Sam, as progress was not hampered."

"So Sam is his own manager now?"

"No Liphanya. Sam still needs to receive his job from you but individuals can ask any of the Armali engineers for direct updates. I am expecting you to give out the job, and the deadline, in a punctual and non-confrontational manner. Any inappropriate shortening of deadlines or delays in punctually giving out jobs will lead to me giving you sanctions. Is that clear Liphanya?"

"It is but why does Sam get special treatment?"

"Sam helps us bring in custom Liphanya. Are you sufficiently happy to go back to work now?" She nods and gets up to leave.

"Have a good day." She walks out without acknowledging Sam. "I do not understand why I seem to annoy her so much as all I wish to be is pleasant to individuals."

"Liphanya has some negative personality traits but she has managed to keep the workers sufficiently happy that none of them have ever decided to run away or commit suicide. She also manages to get most of the work completed on time and so is a valuable asset to this company, even if she is not the most liked individual."

"I suppose it is better to know the faults of someone you have than get someone else who you know nothing about."

"You seem to see why I am reluctant to let her leave. I do have other matters which I must discuss with you all this morning though. My first is that Silana, you are to take the refitted freighter to Nos Astra space port as per the usual arrangements this morning. Sam, I have received notification that you should have compensation for Silana moving to live with you."

"I have not checked Olissa but I must say that Silana has vacated her apartment and so you are free to do with it as you wish."

"I very much appreciate the swift vacation of that apartment as it can be cleaned and reused now. Silana has her job for the day and I still have one item left to discuss. Sam and Amistathya, you both are to spend the next three days learning the basics of flight. It does not inspire confidence in customers if you do not know how to even use a thruster when you are fitting them. I hope that you think that learning to pilot ships would be helpful to you both as well."

"I am assuming that we have no work this week then?"

"You do not. The next job we have scheduled is for next week and is two thrusters to be installed and one ship to have a full overhaul. The latter will likely take a few weeks at least. I am sure that Liphanya will provide specifics next week as some details are still to be resolved."

"Ok then. So who is to teach us and where are we to go?"

"You will be taught separately in our simulation rooms which are in our hull, interface and aesthetic design building which you went to last week. You will meet Mysampha Sam who is one of our non-haptic drive systems specialists. Amistathya, you will meet Thyansa who is one of our best hull designers. Both are competent pilots and patient individuals so they should both teach you well. Yasmari and Selayla, I appreciate that you are probably protecting Sam instead of Hymara and Lianta but could you kindly split yourself across both of the simulators."

"We can do that."

"I am appreciative of that. Your training will take an extra three hours each day as I am aware that you would prefer to work on your passenger transport on your free days Sam. I have asked both Mysampha and Thyansa to make themselves free to you both if you have any free time in the future, whether that is inside your work time or on your free time."

"I am also assuming that the extra three hours are non-paid?"

"Any time you spend inside the simulation rooms in or outside work hours will be classed as normal time. This is as beneficial to you as it is for us and so I feel that is a happy compromise even if it is overtime. I hope you can understand why I came to that conclusion."

"I can agree to that. Is that all Olissa?"

"It is. Mysampha and Thyansa will be awaiting you both in the entrance hall. Omepha will give you all the details you need for your handover Silana. It may even be an idea for Yasmari or Selayla to go with you but that is of course not my decision to make."

"I am sure we will speak to you again soon. Have a good day." She nods with a smile before going to her terminal. The five of them leave the room and begin walking to the reception area. "Well that was a little unexpected."

"Olissa does make a point Sam in that you do need to learn. Thirty hours is not long at all though."

"I am sure I will be able to use some free days once the passenger transport is completed Silana. How many hours do you think it will take?"

"To fly your ship I would expect at least a hundred and fifty hours Sam. I would be impressed if you could fly a class one shuttle with some competency after Wednesday."

"It seems I have a lot of learning in my future then Silana." The five of them walk through to reception to see one orange collared individual and one white collared individual waiting quietly on the seating on the right hand side of the room. "I am assuming that you have the orange collar Mysampha and Thyansa, you have the white?"

"You are correct Sam. I see you have made an effort to learn what colours denote what kind of individual already."

"One of the servants told me Thyansa but she seemed to omit white from her explanation but it may have been a lapse of memory."

"White is for design development and dark grey is for servants not owned by us but lent to use for the duration of a job Sam. Occasionally the other servants omit white and grey as they rarely see them." Omepha talking from behind the reception desk as the prepares a datapad with information.

"I appreciate knowing who does what now Omepha."

"It is no problem Sam. I have your specifics on this datapad for you Silana. As usual we will provide a handover bonus, expenses and collection from the space port when you have completed the delivery." Omepha hands Silana the datapad.

"How long will it take you to do that Silana?"

"It will be early afternoon when I arrive back Sam. I would need to find lunch in Nos Astra."

"Would at least one of you go with her?"

"I will come with you Silana." She nods to Yasmari and the two of them leave to go to hanger three.

"I guess that we should get started. Would you mind Thyansa if I made sure that Ami was comfortable first as she can find unknown Asari a little difficult to trust at first?"

"If you wish to do so Sam then I am hardly in a position to disapprove. I would also hate you to feel in any way uncomfortable Amistathya and I most certainly do not wish to jeopardise my contract by doing anything inappropriate."

"You can go on your own Sam. I think Thyansa will be ok to me." The five of them walk through the door into the central hub of the design facility.

"I am happy that you took that decision Ami and I think Thyansa will be kind to you as well. I assume you both know that neither of us have haptic implants before we begin."

"Olissa made us aware of that Sam and you are most welcome to either use non-haptic controls or use haptic gloves. Both myself and Thyansa cannot have haptic implants for different medical reasons but it does allow me to have a better understanding of what individuals need from the control interface."

"I can see how that would be a benefit for you Mysampha. Do you find it a help or a hindrance to you Thyansa?"

"It is more of an inconvenience for me as the design software essentially requires haptic interfacing as it allows the software to provide an extra data layer without using many different views or menus. Using gloves feels not quite natural to me but I manage." Sam nods. "Please follow me through here." She gestures the others to follow her through a door into a corridor. "This area contains four physical simulators to allow us to refine both ship interface systems and to ensure hull designs are stable in atmospheres and perform well under inertial stress."

"I must also add that we generally also use at least one of the four for flight training. Thyansa would you like to take one or four?"

"I know they are all generally alike but I prefer four." Mysampha nods. "Amistathya, would you like to follow me." She nods before following her through a doorway which seems eerily reminiscent of an extended walkway to a ship in its design. The two of them walk through and enter a single large room. "Please do take a seat at the front Amistathya and I will explain the simulator to you."

"I have honestly never seen anything as complex as this before." She takes a seat in front of the largest ship control interface she had seen, the orange glow a little intimidating. Thyansa takes the co-pilots seat.

"Do not be too worried about the complexity, just refrain from touching for the moment while I explain and give you some options." Amistathya nods. "This is one of four physical simulators we have and Sentix did not skimp on costs when these were introduced a few decades ago. Each one floats inside a sphere and can simulate all physical changes of direction and forces you would experience on any kind of ship. In the back you may have noticed several computing banks. These are loaded with VI software to simulate other ships, air traffic control and natural obstacles or problems as well as the ship control software. Each VI in each simulator is slightly different hence why I preferred four over one."

"Why does it differ?"

"They take notes of how pilots interact with problems and occasionally make the obvious solution impossible. The one in this simulator tends to do this by outside means and not impact the ship or its controls. This trait makes it a little better to learn with."

"So the one Sam is in will be more difficult?"

"Not particularly but simulator one tends to create more ship borne issues than the others. Simulator two tends to be particularly difficult with communications. Simulator three tends to focus on natural problems or things like under-fuelling and this one tends to use naturally occurring problems or space traffic. All of them may throw up any problem at any time during the flight and all are equal in their difficulty it is just their character that you get a preference for over time."

"I think I understand."

"I understand this is a lot to take in so quickly Amistathya. I must however ask if you would like to use gloves with a haptic interface or a non-haptic interface? The latter limits practical flying as most older ships and some newer designs have haptic interfaces without a non-haptic option."

"How difficult would it be to learn haptic controls later?"

"It is generally not too difficult since the basics are identical. The only thing you would have to learn is the simpler layout and how information is delivered differently."

"I think I would prefer to stay with the non-haptic as I would prefer to keep my own gloves on if I could do so."

"I cannot see that as an issue Amistathya. Our first flight is to be in a class two shuttle from Thermay Spaceport to Serrice Spaceport on Thessia. I will explain what to do at various points of the flight and pause the simulation on multiple occasions to point everything out to you. If you make a mistake I will reset the simulation and do not worry about making mistakes as they cost nothing." Amistathya nods and Thyansa begins to make the changes to both the drive system controls and to setup the simulation. She watches the view out of the window change from one spaceport to another.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I would rather stick to non-haptics for the moment if you do not mind Mysampha. I may try gloves at a later date but I just want the basics for now."

"That is understandable as shuttles, and actually the majority of newer ships now, are generally equipped with a changeable interface just like your omni-tool. To begin with I am going to setup a short flight and work through the entire procedure with you Sam. The flight will be in a development class one shuttle making a dock change at Nos Astra space port."

"Actually Adastra has mentioned classes in the past. Could you quickly explain them for me?"

"Class one is an interplanetary shuttle which is no more than three metres in width and seven in length. Class two is no more than three and a half width and ten in length. Class three is a passenger transport no more than twenty in wingspan and thirty in length. Class four is no more than forty in wingspan and sixty in length. Class five is no more than a hundred in wingspan and a hundred and fifty in length. Class five is the highest non-haptic ship that is possible to fly with current ship interface designs. Class six contains freighters with a hull width greater than twenty five metres but otherwise fit into the class five size limits. It also contains class five ships with a length or wingspan greater than class five but have a hull width of not more than twenty five metres. Class seven is a interplanetary freighter and is the largest landable class typically. Class eight and nine are restricted classes for military purposes typically although eight does contain very large freighters for mass movement of goods."

"So why may I ask is class six not pilotable with non-haptic interfacing?"

"Class six contains freighters which generally have a large hull and only have wings to prevent spin in atmosphere. This balance however means that they are slightly unstable in an atmosphere and haptic interfacing gives a pilot a feel of this instability allowing them to correct it."

"I understand now thank you."

"It really is no problem Sam. Ok, you are to fly PS-0121-674982 from Nos Astra dock 472 to a dock between 200 and 250. That will mean you having to navigate two traffic lanes. The reason for the dock change is to be a passenger collection."

"I have no idea where to start really?" Sam looking blankly at the array of controls infront of him.

"The ship with its ion drive will start when you wish to. A plasma thruster would likely need warming first if it uses ceramic tubes. Since we have an ion drive then our first thing to do is seek clearance from Illium control for the dock change. Once you get approval you may remove the walkway and I will pause the simulator to explain the ship controls. You will then begin to fly to your destination using the flight path and timings provided. I will pause the simulator to explain everything as we go as I know this is all new to you."

"I think we need to explain communications if we are to simulate going anywhere Mysampha."

"I do, my apologies. The two panels to your left are for communications. The bottom flat panel can switch between two views, a keyboard and a communication channel selection and control screen." Sam jabs the button to switch a few times. "The upper panel is a split view panel. On the left is for data messages and the right lists which communication centre you are tied with, ship registered name and a couple of other pieces of data you do not need at the moment."

"I guess that I just need to contact Illium control?"

"Yes, go to the communications selection screen. You need to select Illium Control surface as it is a surface transfer and HBRV for high bit-rate voice. You will note a change in the upper screen when you are connected. When you are state the recipient, ship designation and your intent as one controller may be guiding multiple ships."

"I understand." Sam does as Mysampha said and quickly notes that Illium Control was highlighted in green on the upper panel. "Illium control surface this is PS-0121-764982 requesting a dock change to one in the lower half of the two hundred range."

"764982, Please state the reason for your dock change." Sam was not overly expecting a Turian sounding voice but goes with it.

"My co-pilot wants me to move the shuttle so that it is nearer eternity. She did say it was to collect passengers but I think it could be so that it means less walking for a drink."

"I will see what I can find for you 764982." Sam just quietly laughs at himself while he ignores Mysampha shaking her head. "764982, dock 221 is the closest I can get to eternity."

"That will be perfect, thank you."

"That is no problem 764982. Flight plan will be provided to you momentarily. It is a four minute direct route with an ETA of seventeen minutes. I hope you have a pleasant day and please do not drink and fly."

"I will not. Thank you again Illium control surface. 764982 out." Sam pressed the end communication link button which he had found while he was waiting for the dock allocation earlier.

"I would advise you not to do that if you think it is a VI controller or in simulator two Sam."

"So I can have no fun at all? Also why not simulator two?"

"VI's can occasionally see humour as a lack of seriousness and refuse your requests. Generally refrain from doing so unless you visit a smaller space port with a unique ship where they are more likely to employ individuals and remember you."

"I have had my laugh for the day Mysampha. I guess you should tell me how to get there so we can do so before lunch."

"I should."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra walks towards the table by the window that Kate, Fosanta and Seliha had managed to sit at. "Did you all have a good morning?"

"I had a quiet morning as I feel individuals are a little weary of me."

"It may be an idea to quietly go around and talk to people Seliha and explain."

"I know you probably do not like Fosanta's suggestion Seliha but no one knew anything about you. If you are open about your condition and explain that you do not like what happened then I am sure they will feel a greater comfort around you."

"I had forgotten about what happened given all of the activity these last few days. I just feel isolated when I did not before." Adastra puts an arm around Seliha.

"I know the feeling better than you imagine Seliha as I felt the same after my outbursts. I mean I felt that even with Sam on the Enlighten that without his help I would have been isolated because of what happened."

"It was rather scary for me though Adastra as I had only a couple of days previously found out that you can mess with peoples minds. That still scares me a little even now."

"I think it scared Kriana more than it did you Kate. I meant no harm though in the same way as Seliha meant none when throwing the desk through the wall. I do not even have the excuse that I was not the usual me. We should get this all resolved when we talk to Usarta in a few minutes though Seliha."

"They may also give you some extra time to learn about yourself Seliha as it sounds like you still do not know for sure who you are."

"I know who I am Fosanta even if my mind cannot decide at times. I really just feel misunderstood by everyone with Adastra having some idea. I just need to feel comfortable with my environment and I will be happy. Having you two stay around is helpful to me even if you do not quite understand, knowing that you would like me as a friend is much more important."

"It is ok Seliha." She gives Fosanta a slight smile with a nod.

"You did scare me Seliha but I feel the surprise factor caused more problems than what you actually did thinking about it now."

"I am thankful to hear that Kate. I feel we should leave Adastra so that we are not late."

"We will speak to you both this evening."

"I hope you both have a helpful meeting." They both nod to Fosanta before leaving. "Seliha really does seem happier after this weekend even if she is feeling a little alone here. I may go and say hello later this afternoon since I have not got much work to do."

"I feel Seliha is beginning to settle which is good for me as it means less stress. It does annoy me a little though that you do not have much work to do as I have a full afternoon of form filling and meetings."

"We have no new data for bioamps and we cannot really begin any further development until next week. It is more just playing around with ideas this week, then when it is really busy next week I will not care as we have the week off."

"I am really looking forward to that. I should leave and get back to work." Kate gives Fosanta a kiss before leaving her to finish her lunch.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"How was your morning Ami?" Sam asking after she appears with Thyansa to take a seat at one of the normal tables in the dining hall.

"I managed not to crash on my first flight which I am happy about."

"I supposedly slightly scraped mine but I am sure a bit of paint and it would be back to new again. I do not think Mysampha was too pleased at me being quite so informal with Illium Control though."

"What ship did you start with Mysampha?"

"I used a class one design that we had abandoned due to it being awful. I thought if Sam could fly that then we have a good chance of making him a pilot."

"I thought you would pilot a shuttle?"

"By linguistic definition you would Sam. Classes one and two have reduced requirements which essentially means that any individual can obtain thouse licenses easily. Classes three and above require much more practical experience. Your ship uses your biometrics and a pilot database to ensure you are eligible to fly that particular class."

"Why did you give me a type two ship to begin with Thyansa?"

"Type one ships get a lower priority on Thessia so I was trying to make the clearance quicker and easier for you Athya."

"Silana said earlier that it would take about a hundred and fifty hours to learn to fly a class four ship. Does that sound about right?"

"It would be a hundred and hundred and fifty hours in a simulator for class four ship plus the three previous class's simulation tests to obtain provisional licences. Overall you are looking at a hundred and eighty hours in a simulator if you pass the tests first time Sam."

"So what do the provisional licences mean?"

"They allow you to fly an actual ship with a co-pilot who is qualified at that class Sam. The provisional licences allow you to gain the hours needed to obtain a full licence. Flight hours cascade down but are divided by three for every class step and at least twenty percent of the required time must be done in a ship of that class."

"I think I understand that so what are the amount of hours that are needed at each class?"

"The minimum you will need to do Sam is ten hours for class one, twenty for class two, a hundred and sixty seven for class three and the full amount for class four is a thousand hours. If you do all the preceding minimums before attempting to fly a class four ship then you can take a competency test for class four which would allow you to obtain that classes hours on your own."

"So that is about four hundred hours including the competency test?"

"That sounds about correct Sam. Then you will have a further thousand hours before you have a full class four licence. You can do at at your leisure but you must fly at least fifty hours per month and go into a simulator for a day every three months to maintain your competency. If you fail to maintain those minimums then you would need to have a qualified co-pilot again or retake the test."

"It sounds like the best I could hope for before May then is a class two or possibly class three provisional."

"You should both be able to do all of the simulation time by then Sam. Getting your class one and two hours in plus the competency tests would be easy to complete within a week. Class three would take some time but it should be manageable within three months."

"I think that will be a difficult target to achieve Thyansa but we will see what we can do if you and Mysampha are happy to try to get the time in on evenings and possibly one day at a weekend."

"We will be happy with that Sam." He nods.

"Actually, I am a little surprised at the VI in the simulator being able to understand me so well to be honest."

"The VI is trained to interpret other species using their non-native language and so would probably understand what you mean in the same way I do Sam. I do admit that I was a little surprised at it granting such a request given the ridiculousness of it."

"Maybe it likes me Mysampha. I should send a message to Silana saying where we are so that she knows where to go when she gets back. Would you prefer Silana to sit in the simulator with you or would you prefer Yasmari to do so Ami?"

"Could I have Yasmari?" He nods and begins to type out a message to Silana.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"That is very convenient timing." Usarta commenting as she sees Adastra and Seliha approaching her from down the corridor as she exited her office.

"It is but I think we both feel a slight nervousness about this meeting. Seliha probably is much worse than I am though." She nods in agreement to Adastra's comment.

"I am not here to deliver any bad news and just wish to discuss options with you both." The three of them walk into the meeting area and then then go into one of the meeting rooms. "Please take a seat." The two of them do so on the opposite side of the desk to Usarta.

"I assume you wish to start with what Armali are to offer Seliha Usarta?"

"I feel that would be an appropriate place to begin Adastra. I have had some discussions with various individuals over the weekend and have come up with a couple of proposals Seliha. I however need to know if you would prefer to do diagnostic analysis or fitting thrusters to test sleds."

"What would the analysis be?"

"It would be on thrusters that have not met manufacturing specification for some reason. It would be your job to detect the flawed component, replace it and then request it to be retested. We only have one other individual doing that job at the moment and due to us increasing our output we need a second individual. The role would be for three hours each morning. You then have your lunch time followed by your bioamp work. You of course still have your twenty percent free time which you can of course take as time off so you do not become overly stressed. You could for example take an hour extra off each lunchtime and finish at lunchtime on a Friday if you wished."

"I feel as long as I have something to physically handle then I may not need the extra time off."

"The option is there if you do need it Seliha. Do you feel that role would be one that you both could do and would like to do?"

"It would be different at least."

"I thought it would add some variety to your work day Seliha. I will ensure you have all the tools, software and equipment you will need and I am sure Rythiva will gladly help you out."

"Do you like this idea Seliha as you seem undecided?"

"To be honest Adastra I feel a little disappointed that I even need this change but I understand it is for the best. I accept the idea Usarta. I am just hoping that Rythiva is a pleasant individual."

"She is Seliha. You will find out yourself tomorrow morning. I will have her message you where she is tomorrow." Seliha nods. "Ok. I just have some minor discussion about what was discussed last night. Armali Council have provisionally agreed to support an event in Nos Parnalo with projected advertising on buildings for the video stream. Given the projected video the council have requested it is to be a night race and they have also requested internal participation."

"Does this mean you are giving me the chance to fly?" Adastra sounding rather excited at the possible opportunity.

"If you do so there are three conditions which you must agree to Adastra." She nods to try to get Usarta to talk faster. "The first is that you are to enter as Armali Propulsion and not Armali Council. The second is that if you show a reasonable competitiveness then you also compete in at least the Nos Xanthi and the Aphris coast races competitively for the duration of your work contract. The third point is that after the race, if you are to enter into the Aphris coast race then we will give the hull to you providing that you do thruster testing for us. We will provide you funding for doing the testing to cover transportation of materials, fuel costs, race entry fees and any other reasonable expenses. The final condition is that you stay here on Illium to develop the propulsion products as you are now for four days of the week and you may use our manufacturing equipment to repair, replace and upgrade the hull for your twenty percent of free time if you wish."

"Of course I will agree those conditions Usarta. Will Seliha be able to work with me some of the time if she is to do some plasma propulsion work?"

"I am sure some arrangements could me made Adastra. I must say before you become too excited that until we obtain approval to sponsor the proposed race then none of this is to happen."

"I thought you said yesterday that Armali Council were not going to get into ship building or sponsoring of a team?"

"I did Seliha and what I said yesterday was correct. The ship is to be a Sentix Spaceworks test design to which we will buy the blueprints for. Sentix would kindly like performance data from races and changes made to the hull in exchange for not having their branding on the hull. Armali Council are not sponsoring a team as it will not be Armali Council as the team name and they are not to own the ship. Armali Council will only perform propulsion testing with the ship and also provide any ship modifications needed to perform that testing. We would like some kind of Armali branding but that is your decision Adastra."

"I assume therefore that the Council do not mind how the testing is done and so you are allowing us to use races as the testing stage?"

"You are correct Adastra. We are also to have a ion propulsion test ship as well flying alongside you. I have not yet decided on who would pilot that ship however."

"Could I ask if they have to be an Armali Council employee Usarta?"

"I feel since it is essentially outsourcing then as long as they have no affiliation with another biotic, ship or propulsion manufacturing company then I can see no reason why they could not be considered."

"Tahomi is a solid and competent pilot Usarta and we got on very well on-board the Enlighten. The only issue is that I know she was on Thessia after the incident when the Enlighten was presumed destroyed but I have been unable to contact her. I am intending to search for her when we go to Thessia in two weeks."

"I would have thought you would have been kept informed as to what is happening Adastra."

"I have heard nothing at all Usarta. I do not even know if she was unharmed or not, I only know she survived."

"My greatest apologies in that case Adastra as I thought you were getting updates from the Republics. She spent two weeks in a mental health assessment facility in Serrice once she arrived back. She was physically unharmed excluding some heavy bruising. Tahomi and Lastoma with their mothers then took a break to Farir on Nevos after being released while the Republics did their investigations on the ASL-Enlighten and the stories they had gathered from the crew. The two of them for the last couple of weeks have been taking some tests with the Asari military orbiting Cyone as the two of them need to regain their pilots licenses and Lastoma wished to try and get a class five license."

"Being on Nevos and then with the military explains my inability to contact her. Can you get a message to her Usarta?"

"I may be able to do better than that. Lastoma has already agreed to a new job but they are generally rather flexible so there is a possibility to have her for a week at each test session if you got on well with her. Tahomi we could probably employ in a propulsive role somewhere as her experience should be ample. If she did wish to do this testing then I may be able to find some bandwidth on our extranet connection to Armali and then on the Republics bandwidth to Cyone by tomorrow." Usarta opens the console in front of her.

"Oooh, it would be very nice to speak to her Usarta. Lastoma was a competent engineer and took pride in her job. She would make a very good ship engineer for the teams if she wished to do so."

"If you come in an hour earlier tomorrow morning Adastra then you can have an hour to catch up. The connection will be encrypted and you will have the conference room to yourself. I will ensure Tahomi and Lastoma are aware that they should expect you to contact them."

"Thank you Usarta. I would give you a hug if I thought Seliha would be ok with it."

"I feel I understand quite what this potential opportunity means after yesterday Adastra so you have no need to hug me. I do hope that everything that has been discussed this afternoon turns out to be good for you both. I am sure you would have to see someone more important than myself to find out why you did not receive any updates on Tahomi though."

"I am sure Kriana will get as many of us together at some time so I may not bother Usarta." She nods "Do you know anything about the others?"

"Everyone survived, a few had minor injuries but they were treated. Everyone has mostly moved back home or moved on to new jobs. Everyone has been requested not to say anything to the media and the vast majority have been given new contact details to prevent them being hassled."

"I can understand that in a way. I must also thank you for the flexibility Usarta. I am not convinced I need it but Doctor Lamisa knows more than I do."

"It is no problem Seliha. I hope you both have a pleasant afternoon but I must unfortunately ask the two of you to leave as I will need this meeting room in five minutes for another meeting. I may well come around to visit you on Wednesday to see how things are progressing." Adastra and Seliha get up and give Usarta a smile and a nod before leaving. They get just outside the door and Adastra gives Seliha a big hug.

"Can these last few days get any better Seliha?"

"Yes, next week when we have the house to ourselves."

"I am going to have to think of something silly to do. I feel we should be getting back to work though." Adastra lets go of Seliha with her right arm and the two of them begin walking back towards their rooms.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Hello Athya. How are you doing?" Yasmari entering the simulator and taking a seat at the back.

"Thyansa is rather patient with me as I know I am not the fastest learner. I think I am doing ok though."

"Piloting a ship is not something that is easy to learn Athya so that is to be expected. Athya has no particular issues with control Miss but the amount of data and what controls are where seem to confuse her. I hope that you feel that is a fair assessment Athya?"

"I do. Where are we to go this afternoon?"

"Armali, Thessia to Monoi, Lusia Athya. There is a large light speed jump that can be reduced to an hour to take the travel time down to about three hours. Would you like to try a rapid transit class three passenger transport Athya or stay with the class two shuttle?" Amistathya looks around to Yasmari who was sitting by the computing nodes.

"I doubt that Thyansa would suggest a larger ship if she did not think that you would be able to control it Athya. I cannot provide any advice as I can only fly type one shuttles and skycars. You do not get anywhere if you do not try though." Amistathya nods with a smile.

"I will try the class three Thyansa."

"I will give you any advice you need in the same way as I did this morning Athya. I will however only try to guide you in the correct path for items such as communications as they are very similar from ship to ship. You will be flying the ARRTL-Luminous Voyager and you may begin when you are ready."

"Do I state the destination for Thessia control or just say we are departing?"

"In a real setting you can give a predefined exit point out of Thessian space and not specify a destination but since you know where you are to go then it would be easiest to just say. Thessia control will then provide you with the best exit point for your journey." Athya nods before opening a communication channel to Thessia control, Armali departures.

"Thessia Control, Armali departures this is ARRTL-Luminous Voyager intending to travel to Monoi, Lusia. We are requesting a flight path and clearance."

"Good afternoon ARRTL-Luminous Voyager. Flight path out of Thessian space will be with you momentarily. You will receive clearance once the queue of three ships that are on your path have docked. Please maintain the communication link until you receive the clearance."

"Understood." Thyansa leans over and mutes the microphone for a moment.

"Do you remember how to remove the walkway Athya as you can do so now. Just do not remove the docking clamps yet." Amistathya nods and presses the button to signal the walkway to move away.

"ARRTL-Luminous Voyager, you are now clear to proceed to Thessian routing point DS-9 via the given flight path. You may upon immediate arrival at DS-9 jump to FTL travel. Please have a pleasant and safe flight."

"Thank you Thessia Control, ARRTL-Lumounous Voyager out." Amistathya remembers where the button is to signal the clamps to move are before Thyansa pauses the simulator.

"You will find in a moment Athya that as you go backwards out of the dock that the wings on the class three ship will attempt to pull the nose of the ship down. There is a compensation element zero core in each ship to counteract this so the faster you travel backwards the lighter you must make the nose."

"Errm. So I need to control the speed, watch the direction change on y-axis while compensating for the change and also adhering to the flight path."

"I would focus on keeping the ship level and back it out slowly Athya. If you keep it level then you will be in the flight path so do not worry about that. The compensation node controls can be found with the FTL drive controls on the panel immediately in front of you on the right hand side. On the rapid transit liners they have a heads up display for navigational movement and direction in case you were trying to find where that data was Athya."

"This is so very confusing."

"I would just attempt to undock and do your best Athya. I am sure that it is possible to reset the simulator to have another attempt."

"Do not be scared of making mistakes as Miss is correct. As I said earlier, they cost nothing in here." Amistathya nods and takes a small breath before beginning to back the ship out of the space port.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Do these ships not have collision avoidance?" Sam getting annoyed at wrecking the ship yet again.

"I have them turned off Sam for the simple reason that you should learn to avoid collisions and not rely on the automated systems. It is the same reason that these simulators do not have autopilot at sub light speed. You do have pilot assistance for things such as vector alignment for docks which you should find helpful but these simulations are designed to learn you to correctly pilot ships. It is something that annoys me as an interface designer when individuals rely on all the automated systems."

"I see why you would want me to learn properly Mysampha. This ship is however not fun to fly. It is not another scrapped development one is it?"

"No Sam, just one that has a reputation for being difficult to fly. It is underpowered for its class three weight and yet has a high inertia and low air resistance which make control difficult without forward planning."

"Perhaps Sam is not ready for the difficult class three ships yet Mysampha."

"Actually Silana. I want you to have a go just so that I know it is not just me being an idiot. Oh and with non-haptic controls just to make it fair."

"I cannot see any class three ship being that bad to control Sam even without feedback." Sam just gestures Silana to take a seat which she does so and Sam takes his next to Selayla. "I assume I should ask you to reset the simulator Mysampha."

"What I will do is rewind it to the point where Sam had just left the dock as it saves a lot of time." Silana nods and the ship moves back to looking towards the traffic lane which would take the ship to the designated exit point. "Ok, are you ready Silana?" She nods and Mysampha begins the simulation and it is only a minute before she has a very close call with another ship.

"You can stop the simulator Mysampha. I am a class seven pilot and I can only just manage to control that ship enough to avoid collisions. Most ships are not that bad and as long as Sam looks up the hull design of the ship before he flies then I am sure he will be fine."

"Silana makes a point, I know learning in a bad design is a good idea but there is a practical limit. I managed the rubbish class one design this morning with just some missing paint."

"You both make a valid argument and I do apologise for being overly difficult. I will swap the ship design to something on the bottom end of average Sam. The wing design on this ship provides a lot of lift with the large ion drive which makes it tricky but careful control of the element zero core can compensate."

"That sounds like a much better balance to me." Sam swaps places with Silana again. "I assume you are a bit bored Selayla."

"Not particularly Sam as I quite liked my piloting course. I am sure I would not have liked the ship you were trying to fly before however."

"Is it not common for commandos to learn to be pilots Selayla as Lianta and Hymara cannot."

"Usually commandos only learn class one shuttles as in a worst case situation that would provide enough the basics to fly most ships with some guidance. I went to do class six piloting as I felt happier choosing more of a deployment role than a combat one."

"That makes sense to me. Is this the same journey from Cyone, Polos to Hyetiana, Port Lerama Mysampha?"

"It is Sam. The simulator will make the FTL jump into a couple of hours. You will then need to take care when landing as the ship will behave quite differently in the denser air and higher gravitational strength on Hyetiana."

"I will complain when I get there Mysampha. Let us just see if we can get out of Polos first." Mysampha nods and begins the simulation with the new hull.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Come in." Seliha answering the door to her room. Fosanta walks in and looks at the patched up wall. "It is the first thing everyone looks at."

"I apologise Seliha. I was just thinking that they could have at least painted it before letting you back in."

"Perhaps. Is there any particular reason you have visited me?"

"I just thought you would like the company Seliha. How was your meeting with Usarta earlier?"

"It was good but I felt unhappy about me even having to have such special treatment."

"You sound like Adastra Seliha. Some of us are just different and everyone needs to accept their differences. If I can be honest, I think you are a friendly and kind individual but you just need to find a way to settle that other side of you."

"I could do that better if I felt there would be no consequences Fosanta. I would love to be able to go out in an evening with Adastra, both of us in short dresses and not expect any problems. Being confined to private places feels artificially restricting and it annoys me a little."

"Adastra just needs her confidence building Seliha as I know she is a much more naturally outgoing individual than she sometimes portrays. I think you would be fine with wearing a short dress even now Seliha so do so if you want to. It may help to show Adastra that it will not be as big of a problem as she imagines."

"You are probably correct Fosanta. I must say before I forget that I will not be here in a morning from tomorrow."

"What is it that you are doing instead Seliha?"

"Diagnosing manufacturing defects in plasma thrusters. It sounds like it will keep my mind entertained."

"I am sure that it will Seliha. It should also allow you to spend a little extra time with Adastra which you may like. Have you been to see her, Samalya and Thea in engineering before?"

"I have been too busy here to be honest Fosanta."

"There is always time Seliha and Adastra is your bondmate now. Go and meet them sometime this week as I am sure that Samalya and Thea would like to see Adastra's new bondmate. Thea may be a little excitable but she is quite young."

"I remember when I was like that. I will go in for a visit but probably not tomorrow as we are going to be coming to work an hour earlier as Usarta is to let Adastra get in contact with Tahomi and Lastoma."

"How are they both? Do you know?"

"Tahomi was bruised and spent a couple of weeks in a mental health facility after being rescued. Lastoma I do not know for sure but all the others sound ok and have been given new contact details."

"That is going to make tracking them down a pain then. I may have to ask if I can join in tomorrow as I feel rather bad for not trying to find out about the others sooner."

"I am sure you could Fosanta. I am sure Adastra will be willing to talk about it this evening."

"I will wait until this evening then Seliha. I should get back to work but it was a good talk."

"Thank you for visiting." Fosanta nods and leaves Seliha to continue her work.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam gets a notification of a video call on his omni-tool from Adastra. "This is going to be funny." He accepts the call. "Hello Adastra. I see you are back home."

"It seems that you are not Sam."

"I am not, I am currently trying to fly a ship." Sam turns the omni-tool around to show Adastra the console. "All of these fancy buttons make the ship do things."

"They would not be there if they did not Sam."

"I know I was joking. So why have you called me in FTL travel between Cyone and Hyetiana?"

"Oh I thought you were in a real ship Sam." Sam shakes his head as he laughs.

"I highly doubt they would let me near a real one yet Adastra. I have already crashed a few and took paint off another."

"You sound worse than I am Sam." The two of them laugh a little. "I am calling as Usarta has said that I may get my own class three ship for racing. There are some conditions I must agree to but they seem reasonable."

"My congratulations then Adastra. You certainly must be excited if you are video calling me as soon as you get back home from work."

"My own ship Sam. I have never owned my own before."

"I know the excitement as I was like that last Thursday. Is it Sentix who are to make it?"

"It is Sam. I assume you will probably be installing the first of the thrusters."

"That is possible Adastra. Will you fit two thrusters in a class three ship? Also I would assume that racing ships are meant to be essentially empty so would you be able to use it for transport?"

"The ships are designed to be emptied for a race Sam. It will certainly not be as comfortable or pretty as your ship but it should be plenty for Seliha and myself. I am not sure about the number of thrusters as we are power limited and two is less efficient than one. I would have to talk to Usarta about options once the race and the ship manufacture is approved."

"I can understand the better efficiency as using two thrusters means duplicating some parts that do not necessarily need duplicating. I think Mysampha is trying to say that we are going to be dropping out of FTL in two minutes. You need to talk as I cannot hear lip movements."

"I apologise Sam but you have two minutes."

"She sounds rather cute Sam." He turns the Omni-tool so Adastra can see her. "I hope Sam is not being too illogical for you Mysampha."

"Not at all. Thank you for the kind words and it is a pleasure to speak to you Miss." Sam turns the Omni-tool back to himself.

"She is not your kind of individual Sam. I should let you get back to your flying."

"I am going to ask you what you meant by that comment when we next meet Adastra. I will talk to you probably later in the week."

"It will probably be tomorrow Sam as I may have some more news for you."

"I will wait to get another call from you tomorrow then Adastra. I hope you have a good evening."

"Try not to crash Sam." Adastra smiles before disconnecting.

"I wonder what caused Adastra to make that comment?"

"Mysampha does have a pleasing voice Sam."

"You should stop Selayla or Mysampha will be walking out of here with a smile and that may start rumours."

"I doubt anyone will be bothered Sam. Thank you for the kind comment however Miss." Selayla nods. "You have twenty seconds Sam."

"If anyone wishes to place any bets that I will crash they need to be made in the next five seconds." Sam hears nothing and the ship drops out of FTL with a beautiful blue planet in view. "Now that is a nice colour."

"It is Sam. I heard that it is the ice that reflects the light back that makes the colour as rich as it is."

"It is a pity I will probably run into it in a few minutes Silana."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"So you may get your own ship and you are to talk to Tahomi tomorrow?"

"Yes Kate. I think that explains why I am probably a little overly happy this evening." Adastra was cuddled up to Seliha with a giddy smile on her face.

"Seliha said earlier that you are going to Armali earlier in the morning."

"An hour earlier Fosanta so we will be needing an earlier night. You are most welcome to come as well. I am sure she would quite like to talk to you Kate. Lastoma may feel a little shy, I suppose she is a little similar to Athya in a way."

"I think we will probably go along as I have an early meeting anyway Adastra. What did Sam say to you possibly getting your own ship."

"He seemed glad I was to get one although I think he was a little distracted by his co-pilot. No it was not Athya but a very smooth voiced Asari. I presume she was a servant given how polite she was and the orange collar."

"Co-pilot? Was he flying?"

"He was in a simulator Fosanta. He said going from Cyone to Hyetiana so I doubt he will be doing that in a shuttle. Class three is quite a start on your first day."

"How long does it take to learn to fly Adastra?"

"To fly what Kate? The shuttle you have outside? Something like the Enlighten or the Destiny Ascension?"

"The shuttle as I should learn at some time."

"A class one license is twenty hours in a simulator and fifty hours of real world flight Kate. It is possible to get an Asari class one license in a week with some effort."

"I am sure I would like to take a little longer than that Adastra. I think I will be able to find time to do that in the next few months though. How long would it take Sam to learn to fly his ship?"

"If he wants a full class four license then it is two hundred hours in a simulator and a thousand hours of real world flight. You only get the chance to do the latter once you have passed a provisional test in the simulator at about a hundred and fifty hours."

"Does he have to have a qualified pilot with him for the real world flight?"

"Yes unless he has passed all of the previous classes competency tests and then he can opt to take the class four competency test. If he passes that then he does not need a qualified co-pilot but he has to do at least fifty hours a month of flight and a day in a simulator every three months."

"How do you have a class nine license if you need real world practice Adastra as surely there are not many ships to practice with?"

"Classes eight and nine are simulation only Fosanta as there are so few dreadnoughts that they cannot be used for pilot training. Usually to fly a dreadnought you need thirty two thousand hours of real flight experience in a class eight ship to be eligible. That dioes not mean I can not fly a class nine ship, just that I would be very unlikely to be chosen to do so. I have just ten thousand in class seven ships and two thousand in class eight so you can see why pilots of the Destiny Ascension tend to be at least six hundred."

"How many hours did you get on the Enlighten Adastra?"

"Ten thousand so it is not an extortionate target but two decades of class eight freighting would make me insane. I only did a couple of years and it was not fun."

"What class can you fly Fosanta?"

"Technically I can only fly class two ships Kate but since I have some class five experience now I would assume it would not be difficult for me to get hold of at least a class three license."

"You should try to Fosanta as it should not be more than a couple of days in a simulator. It is a good class to have a license for." She nods to Adastra.

"What class can you fly Seliha?"

"Class three Kate. Flying a shuttle is very easy, I am sure seven or eight year old could manage it."

"That is going to make be look silly when I struggle now Seliha."

"You will feel the same once you have a bit of experience Kate." She nods to Seliha.

"I feel we should all get some sleep if we are to leave early tomorrow morning." The three of them nod to Fosanta and they all collect their cups from the sitting area table before taking them to the kitchen.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"That was a tiring day, it was not helped much by Mysampha trying to give me an unpilotable ship to fly. How was Thyansa to you Ami?" Amistathya had taken a seat next to Sam and not on his knee tonight to have a snack and a drink before bed.

"Very patient. I flew a class three rapid transit ship from Thessia to Lusia. Landing scared me as the simulator put me in a difficult dock to get to. With a little help from Thyansa I managed to dock the ship with no damage."

"Good for you Ami. You will probably make a better pilot than me."

"I think that could be because Sam was distracted by Mysampha Athya." Amistathya goes from looking at Selayla who was sitting to her right on the sofa to Sam on her left with Yasmari's comment.

"Adastra said she had a cute voice when she called to say about her possibly getting a ship Ami."

"How distracted Selayla?" Amistathya asking in a slightly seductive tone as she carefully runs her hand along Selayla's left leg.

"I doubt it was that much Ami as Sam could obviously still fly a ship. Selayla, remember what Sam said to us yesterday." Yasmari watching Amistathya do whatever she wished from the other sofa.

"I know Yasmari but Athya is rather endearingly innocent." Amistathya gets on her knee and gives her a hug. "See she just wanted a hug."

"Ami has a reason for everything Selayla and a hug is not usually just a hug. I am tired anyway after crashing all those ships so I am going to go to bed." Amistathya looks up as Sam gets up off the sofa to take his cup back. She gets off Selayla's knee and gives her a soft smile before following Sam upstairs.

"I am not sure what you are thinking Selayla. As we have said before, she is too young for you."

"It felt nice to have a hug Yasmari. Would you say no to one from Sam as he has caused problems for people in the past."

"Ok point taken but do be careful as I do not want Kalawa moaning at me for not looking out for you."

"I doubt saying that will make any difference to anything Yasmari. I would recommend that you continue to be with Athya in the simulator though." Selayla looked disappointed at Silana making that suggestion.

"I will do that Silana."

"You will have nowhere to go on Thursday and Friday Selayla so do not look too disappointed. I must however go to sleep. I hope you both have a good night."

"You too Silana." She nods to Yasmari and Selayla before dropping her cup off in the sink and heading to bed. "I think we should get some sleep as well. I also think it would be better to wait until the end of the week Selayla as protecting Sam at work is our priority. Friday night we can agree with the others to have a little more casual time if you would like that."

"I feel it would be a missed opportunity if we did not Yasmari. I do agree with going to bed though." The two of them follow Silana's tracks, turning off the downstairs light as they make their way to their room.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**A faster update which is probably better for you to remember what has happened in the last few chapters. I hope to get Chapter 59 done in a reasonable amount of time (but as you know that may not happen) and my prediction for what will happen in 59 may well be split into 59 and 60 as there are a lot of loose ends to tie off.**

**Given a new and highly helpful review, Chapter 1 has been replaced with a new version. When Chapter 59 gets posted I may have updated chapters 2 – 30 with new versions which provide some more detail and clear some things up. I will post a comment at the top of Chapter 59 if that is the case.**

**If you have a review or a comment please do make use of the review system. Feedback is always very helpful. If you are bored of keep checking back to see if there is a new chapter then subscribing or favouriting the story will give you a helpful e-mail :)**

**Thank you to you all for reading.**


	59. Chapter 59 : New Interactions

Chapter 59 - New Interactions

* * *

><p><strong>Tuesday 28th February 2017<strong>

"So who was Lastoma then?" Kate's curiosity had got the better of her as she listened to the conversation over breakfast.

"She was the ships maintenance engineer Kate. If she was with us after the core discharge then I would not have been surprised if the majority of items were fixed by the time we had got to the citadel. She also helped me with some of my practical jokes which was good."

"I always wondered how you had managed to make the fire breathing taps without Lastoma noticing."

"Now you know Fosanta. I do hope that the two of them are ok but we will find out soon I guess."

"Then I will be at my new job somewhere. Rythiva gave me a message earlier to say that she would meet me in storage two. I am just hoping she is nice to me."

"I would just explain about yourself Seliha and then there are no unexpected surprises for either of you."

"I need to add to Fosanta's comment that you need to be your usual pleasant self to her Seliha. Can you do that for me?"

"I will try." Adastra put her arm around Seliha and gave her a bit of a squeeze.

"I am ready to leave whenever everyone else is." Kate with that comment moved from her seat to put her dish in the sink.

"We will only be a minute longer Kate."

"If you got up a minute sooner Adastra then I would not be waiting."

"I like my sleep Kate." Kate laughed a little as she stood watching the others finish off their breakfasts at the kitchen table. It was only a couple of minutes longer before they had all finished and were leaving the house. Adastra seemed keen to try to get to Armali as quickly as possible leaving Kate and Fosanta to travel at a slightly more relaxed pace in their shuttle behind.

"Well you know it is early when you are travelling in the morning twilight. I admit it does make Nos Astra look very futuristic though." Kate admired the view out of the window as the morning sky cast its illuminating glow over the cities buildings.

"I am not sure I would call ridiculously tall skyscrapers as futuristic Kate but it does give the city an air of tranquillity before the morning rush ensues."

"It is little things like this though which make being out here worthwhile. I mean no offence to you Fosanta but any human could enjoy these moments and yet they do not even know they exist."

"I am sure your planet has many of these little wonders Kate and we do not really know about them. Sometimes the more you know the less you realise you can know."

"I am well aware of that already given that is essentially how I have felt since I arrived. Still only five more days and then we get a break."

"I am trying to not think about it too much Kate as it will make the time go quicker." Fosanta seemed to ruin the conversation with that comment but they were close to arriving at Armali anyway.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Adastra, Fosanta, Kate and Seliha walked into the conference room at Armali to see a timer hovering in the holographic area counting down the seconds until a connection is established. "This sort of looks like a mini cinema."

"I suppose everyone needs to be seen on some of these larger business conferences. We may as well sit on the front row." The four of them descended the stairs past four other rows of four chairs before getting to the front row. Adastra and Fosanta sat down in the middle of the row with Seliha and Kate on either edge. "Two minutes left."

"Does the connection make itself in two minutes then Adastra?"

"I would assume that it does if individuals are available on both ends Kate. It would be a waste of idle bandwidth if it did not." Kate have a nod to Adastra before sitting back to watch the timer tick down the seconds.

"This needs a fast forward button." The others had a laugh at Seliha's comment.

"Very true but we only have a few more seconds to wait Seliha." Fosanta settled back into her seat to watch those few seconds elapse before two Asari appeared in front of them.

"It is good to see you Tahomi and Lastoma. How have you two been lately?"

"It is also good to see you Adastra and Fosanta as well. I feel that how we both have been is too long of a story for now but we are both fairly well at the moment."

"That is good to hear Tahomi and it is good to talk to you again. I assume you feel a little upset that you could not meet Kate and Sam yourself or be at the announcement on the citadel?"

"We were unaware of what was happening to be honest Fosanta. We were essentially isolated in Serrice medical facility's psychological assessment building until February. We did hear about the announcement several days later when Doctor Yahalna mentioned to Lastoma and myself that you had arrived back at the citadel. We were not told they, sorry you, had found a new species. I am assuming it is you Kate on the end?"

"It is Tahomi. I have heard many good things about you from Adastra. The same also applies to you as well Lastoma."

"Thank you."

"I assure you Kate that being with Adastra is not always the great portrayal it seems, but that is made up for by her enthusiasm and the silly jokes."

"Adastra seems to have settled a little Tahomi now that Sam is not being a constant bad influence."

"You may have a point but Seliha is nearly as bad Fosanta. Tahomi and Lastoma this is Seliha my bondmate."

"You have a bondmate now?"

"Surely you do not think of me as such an unfriendly character that I could not have one Tahomi?"

"I thought you said your markings made it unlikely?"

"Errm. Yes, I did, but things have changed a little."

"I also have markings on my legs and body and so Adastra seemed to warm to me. It was however Sam who was the closest individual to Adastra when I first met everyone."

"Is that a slight purple tinge I see Adastra?"

"I deliberately let Sam see me naked Tahomi which was probably the most embarrassed I have ever been. He was very kind to me if a little shocked at what happened."

"Shiala and I were thinking you had seen Sam naked Adastra not the other way around." Kate questioned as she had obviously not found this out before now.

"How is Shiala?"

"We honestly do not know Lastoma as we have not had contact with any of the others since we separated just after arrival."

"I was thinking of going to meet some of them when we are on Thessia in a couple of weeks time. If you would be willing to forward your new contact details then I am sure that we could keep in contact with you both about how they are doing."

"We will do that Adastra."

"So were all the others ok Tahomi when they got back?"

"I know everyone is still alive Fosanta but that is about all I know. I am sure Lastoma and myself would appreciate if we kept away from that topic of conversation though."

"I have something to discuss which is almost entirely irrelevant to the Enlighten Tahomi. Armali may give me a class three ship to test their propulsion products and I would be keen on having both of you to help me do that testing if everything falls into place."

"Why us Adastra?"

"I know you both Lastoma. I know you would be able to repair the ship quickly if it becomes damaged and I know Tahomi would be able to provide second opinions on modifications. The current idea is to enter the ship into class three light racing to test the products. Armali have said that it has to be at least the Nos Xanthi and the Aphris coast races if the proposed race in Nos Parnalo gets approval and goes well."

"You mean you are getting a ship for nothing Adastra?"

"With a few minor caveats, yes Tahomi. Usarta said that she would be most willing to offer you a job here if you would like to take it? I am sure you would be likewise Lastoma but I heard that you had signed a contract with someone else."

"They found someone better." Tahomi gave the shy Asari next to her a short hug.

"Lastoma has been a little depressed about that lately Adastra."

"Could someone send a message to Usarta in that case?" Kate opened her Omni-tool and began to type a message out. "Thank you Kate. Tahomi, I also recommended you to be the individual to fly the ion propulsion ship which would mean you also becoming an owner of a ship as well if you are approved to do so."

"Really?" Adastra nodded. "I am not sure what to say in that case. Would you like to move to Illium Lastoma?"

"Are you two bondmates Tahomi?"

"We are Fosanta but not officially." Fosanta nodded towards the screen. "What do you think Lastoma?"

"If there is somewhere safe then I feel I would be happy to do so."

"There are two bedrooms free in our house Lastoma and next door is a house with six commandos in. I feel you would be safe enough."

"Armali also have rather tight security which Sam fell foul of quite early on." Kate added to the conversation after sending the message to Usarta.

"Fell foul in what way?"

"His chosen partner has a slightly unfavourable past. Armali found out after doing some searches and decided to terminate Sam's contract given the evidence that was provided."

"I must add to what Seliha said by stating that the documentation for Amistathya is apparently incorrect Lastoma. I doubt she expressed her personality when she was a servant but Kate and I really struggle to understand her and Sam."

"I think it is just silly fun Fosanta. I mean how many times did I swap the floor selection around in the lift on the Enlighten?" That comment brought a smile to Tahomi's face.

"I have tried to forget about those silly jokes Adastra."

"I have missed the silliness to be honest Fosanta. We could really do with just having some fun rather than having to work through these check-lists to get our lives back to normal."

"I heard that you were both currently on Cyone undertaking tests to get your pilots licenses back." Usarta walked down from the back of the room. "I am Usarta and I run the Armali Illium facility. I believe someone wished to discuss some things with me?"

"Lastoma's job contract has been cancelled as they found someone better Usarta." Adastra talking over her shoulder as Usarta took a seat on the row behind Fosanta. "I was wondering if Tahomi got a job here then could Lastoma?"

"This may be a silly question Lastoma but do you know how to produce thrusters or just repair them?"

"I did do some guest lecturing at the University of Serrice on propulsive technologies."

"I am sure that Lastoma would have found the fact that the casing on those thrusters I deliberately broke on the Enlighten were cracked and possibly even repaired them Usarta."

"Ok. I will orally offer you a position in our propulsion technologies department Lastoma if you wished to take it. I am sure that I will be able to discuss contract terms with you both at a later date."

"I feel I would like that."

"I am pleased to hear that Lastoma. You would likely work with Adastra as she mostly works with two other individuals now that Sam has unfortunately left us."

"Could you explain what happened as Lastoma would likely feel happier if she knew?"

"Sam became an unofficial bondmate to Amistathya at that time. He was also her owner which confused things a little as well. Anyway, Amistathya has a documented past of not abiding by rules that had been set for security reasons and hence the council board decided that she was a security threat. I can however assure you that they were both amply compensated for their inconvenience and I feel that they do not see Armali in a bad light."

"I heard that Sam was with Sentix Spaceworks now."

"He is Tahomi and he is to get his own passenger transport which I was rather envious of. He also seems to be doing some flight training as well although he did not seem to be doing too well when I called him yesterday."

"What class would that be going towards Adastra?"

"Well his transport is a small class four ship which I would assume he wishes to fly." Tahomi gave a nod before a slight lull in the conversation ensued.

"When would we be likely to see you both if you are on Cyone?"

"It would probably be about three weeks Fosanta. Lastoma has another hundred and eight hours to fly before she can take the competency test for class five ships. I should be receiving my class seven licence back within the next few days."

"Can I ask why you had to get your licence back?"

"Being added to the watch list invokes a withdrawal of your pilots license Kate as Adastra no doubt knows." She nodded in agreement to Tahomi. "I know what has happened recently has changed my perspective on a lot of things, however seeing you today has made me feel better that what happened did have some kind of positive outcome."

"Could I ask you Tahomi if you would be interested in flying a test ship in your current situation? I am only asking as we do have several other pilots who would be more than willing to do so."

"I would prefer not to fly the ship to the race by myself Usarta. If that is no problem then I would be very happy to fly a test ship for Armali."

"I would assume they would need to be freighted Tahomi so I cannot see that as being an issue. The sports council are planning the event to possibly be on the fifteenth of April and Sentix Spaceworks should have the ships completed by the end of March. Those dates are however subject to change as contamination issues may mean the event has to be delayed a while."

"Is this plan not dangerous Usarta?" Kate seemed to be towing the cautious line.

"Lighting will be via UV lighting and phosphorous strips Kate. The UV will kill bacteria and so the only real risk is to individuals being there. If the event can be on the fifteenth then Sentix are to let the event use hanger five as the docks so that individuals are not exposed to the PCB's or the UV light. Remote cameras will deliver the coverage needed and a dedicated communications channel between Nos Parnalo and Sentix will provide all the information needed on the ships."

"It sounds as if you have quite advanced plans Usarta but I am at the moment much more interested in meeting you all in person. It has been a long ten weeks that has felt more like ten decades and it would be nice to be able to relax."

"Please do keep in contact with us and we hope to see you both in a few weeks. It has been nice to see you both again."

"The sentiment is very much returned Fosanta."

"I know Lastoma has found this event very difficult Fosanta so friendly faces are going to be very welcome. I do believe that we both have our flight tuition in a couple of minutes so unfortunately we must leave."

"I hope both of you stay happy until we meet again."

"We will certainly try Adastra. I will stay in contact and I hope to hear a message from you in the next few days. I have your contact details as Usarta forwarded them on earlier to us." The two sides say their good byes before the screen goes black and the lights in the room come up to a dim glow.

"I am confused as to why Tahomi did not know how to contact you Adastra?"

"I would assume that the Republics must have given us all new addresses upon our return Kate. That does however mean I will have to go through all my contacts and message them to inform them what my new address is."

"That is likely Fosanta as the Republics would not have wanted the media spamming you all with messages. I must however be leaving as I have work to be getting on with and I believe you four also have work as well."

"Unfortunately. I am a bit anxious to be fair."

"Just remember what we said this morning Seliha and you will be fine." Adastra put her arm around Seliha as the five of them made their way from the meeting room.

"I will try my best."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Seliha cautiously made her way through the door into storage two. She could see no one around given her view was mostly obstructed by rows of thrusters, each seemingly in size order. "You must be Seliha." A voice from behind said which made her jump. "I do apologise for startling you, I did not intend to do so."

"I am already anxious about this morning."

"I do honestly apologise Seliha. I am Rythiva. Please do have a seat as I would prefer that you were not anxious." Rythiva gestured towards a small pile of crates near the entrance. "If you would rather not talk then that is also ok Seliha."

"I will as I have some things to say." The two of them walk towards the crates before taking a seat.

"What would you like to talk about to ease your nervousness Seliha?"

"I have recently had a re-emergence of my duality syndrome and have done some things I regret."

"What is duality syndrome Seliha?"

"Most individuals find it easiest to think if it as having two different personalities in a similar way to someone with a split personality may. It is however not that simple and I have found it difficult to keep it hidden recently. Last week I threw a desk through a wall in the biotics building." That seemed to make Rythiva a little uneasy but she seemed to attempt to stay calm.

"Are you warning me that you may harm me Seliha?"

"I will try my hardest not to Rythiva but yes I may do so, yes I will mean to do so, no I will not intend to hurt you. I apologise."

"Wait... How can you mean to do something but not intend to?" Seliha stood from the crates.

"I told the others trying to explain was a bad idea." She said mostly to herself. "I even told you that it was a bad idea." Seliha turned to look to Rythiva. "I will keep this very simple, I am easily irritated and if you do so I will hurt you. Is that easier to understand?"

"I know it is difficult for you Seliha but I asked if you could stay pleasant for me." Adastra speaking as she waked towards the two of them. "Hello, I am Adastra and the crazy individual is my bondmate."

"I am Rythiva."

"It is good to meet you." She gave a nod to Adastra. "So why are you trying to intimidate Rythiva Seliha?"

"I tried to explain but she needed a simpler explanation." Adastra took a seat on the crates next to Rythiva as Seliha gave her answer.

"It usually helps if you do not unnerve individuals while trying to explain Seliha. Take a seat and I will try to help." She reluctantly did so leaving Adastra free to turn her attention to Rythiva. "If you have any questions then I will try to answer them for you Rythiva."

"Could I ask why you are bondmates?" Adastra laughed a little.

"Well we both have markings on our bodies and Seliha is a very nice individual usually. I admit the duality syndrome is not easy to comprehend but as long as you offer jobs, try not to argue with her and be friendly then I hope that Seliha will be nothing other than friendly towards you Rythiva. Do you feel that is something you can do or does Usarta need to think of something else for Seliha to do?"

"I think so. Could I ask you to explain Adastra?"

"Think of it as having an urge to do something other than you want to do. You know it is inappropriate or not something you would usually do and so you push it to one side in your mind. Then moments later what you had the urge to do moments earlier you find yourself doing. You have not meant to do the action but it is still your brain and your mind performing it. Seliha is however trying to learn to have the urge at least ask for permission instead of just doing what it wants. It may take a while but just being friendly will help."

"Will you be able to do this kind of work Seliha?"

"As long as I am told how then I cannot see why not."

"Seliha is smart enough to do this work Rythiva. I will also be disappointed if I hear any comments about bullying from anyone Seliha as this is meant to try and help you. I should however leave you both as I have work to be doing."

"It was good talking with you Adastra." She gave a nod to Rythiva before giving Seliha a kiss and leaving. "Are you ok to do something Seliha?"

"I am." The two of them get up off their crates and begin walking towards the thrusters.

"You may work in any order that you wish as long as the thrusters are repaired by the deadline stated."

"How do I know what that is as the deadline is not written on them?"

"Each thruster has an identification system built inside it in exactly the same way as most bioamps do. This data will inform the Omni-tool to download all pertinent information for that thruster from the central servers. You will then have access to the blueprints, test data, testers report and the deadline for repair." Seliha scans the thruster the two of them were currently walking past.

"What can I do with all of this when it is downloaded?"

"Well if we go back to that thruster you scanned. You should be able to open up the virtual map tool on your Omni-tool and see the blueprint projected onto the thruster." She does so to see a blue shading being projected onto the parts. "If the test data is particularly bad, such as it would not even turn on or work then you can carefully scan the thruster using this utility and it will notify you of any visible defects. A full scan typically only takes a few minutes and a progress counter will show you how much of the thruster has been processed." Seliha wonders off around the thruster to begin scanning it. "Should I leave you to get on with this one for the moment Seliha?"

"You can." Rythiva turned to look at the thruster immediately behind her. After a moment or two of deliberation she thinks it would be a good starting point and so takes the thrusters identity before beginning to work.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"How did you get on this morning Seliha?" Adastra said before placing her lunch down on the table.

"She is ok I think. I think it will be a while before I feel happy with the work though."

"That is the same for everything Seliha, just persevere with it and you should find it better eventually." Seliha nodded. "I wonder where Fosanta and Kate are?" Adastra mumbled through a mouthful of food.

"I was quite early in leaving, as must you be Adastra."

"I am as we are mostly waiting for simulations to complete or waiting for testing parts to be manufactured. Samalya likes having something she can physically interact with to understand its properties. We are starting to get quite a mass of parts now."

"That sounds like what storage two looks like."

"You really should come and have a look yourself Seliha. Perhaps tomorrow after you have finished in storage two would be an idea."

"Doing what tomorrow Adastra?" Fosanta said, obviously half listening to the conversation as she walked towards the table.

"Seliha should come and see what we have in our development space as it is quite interesting."

"I may well have a look as well at some time Adastra. That is if you do not mind me doing so of course."

"Feel free Fosanta as we are getting towards the end of the development of the large thruster now. Actually, there are thoughts of scaling this version down to be the final manufactured design which would be interesting."

"That is the one with multiple plasma tubes if I remember correctly."

"It is. It is more complex but the control is very fine and it also allows thrust vectoring without any extra complexity." Adastra looked at the individual walking past to see it was Kate arriving. "Hello Kate."

"I would have asked what you were all talking about but thrust vectoring is the last thing I wish to discuss at the moment."

"You sound a little stressed Kate."

"It is probably the earlier morning and the fact that I was attempting to make a sale of some propulsive products this morning. It does not help that I was way over my head."

"It probably does not help that you do not know how to actually fly."

"I am well aware of that now Seliha. I have asked her to come back to visit on Thursday where I will have Isphara with me."

"I would have thought that Armali would have individuals to co-ordinate sales Kate."

"They do Adastra. This is somewhat of a strange negotiation however as it is a new company wishing to procure the parts, but not a new company to needing propulsion. They therefore want to obtain solid details but we cannot give them that without non-disclosure agreements and verification."

"I would have assumed that Usarta was there with you." Fosanta questioned as she continued munching.

"She was. I will try to explain more on Thursday but I cannot say anything else at the moment."

"I am sure that I would be interested in finding out more Kate. I should however be leaving as I am sure the simulation should be complete by now. I hope you all have a good afternoon."

"I am sure we will Adastra. I hope your afternoons work progresses well." Adastra gave a nod to Fosanta after giving Seliha a kiss before leaving.

"I should leave as well as I have work to catch up with from last week."

"Do not try to do it all at once Seliha as I feel that Adastra would prefer an individual who was not stressed and tired."

"I will have a talk to the others to see what can be deferred until next months design Kate."

"I think what Kate suggested would be a good idea Seliha. I should be around in a few minutes if you need to talk to me but if not we will speak to you this evening." Seliha nodded before she got up and left. "I will unfortunately have to be leaving as well Kate as I have a meeting with a couple of the bioamp programmers."

"I hope that meeting goes well for you Fosanta."

"It should." Fosanta gave Kate a quick kiss and a cuddle before standing up. "I hope you have a good afternoon and I will talk to you later." Kate nodded with a smile before Fosanta left.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am assuming that this is Adastra again." Sam looked down at his Omni-tool which was beeping at him. "How did I guess?"

"Luckily you have some spare time while we wait in this queue."

"True." Sam answered the call. "I see that you were keen to talk to Mysampha again Adastra." Sam said with a smile on his face.

"Perhaps you should not have such a distracting individual with you while you are trying to learn Sam."

"Mysampha is very patient with my ineptitude Adastra. If you do feel that she may be distracting me then you could always teach me another day."

"I doubt Seliha would approve Sam."

"You have an awfully restrictive bondmate there then Adastra if she would not even let you teach me to fly."

"I was not talking about flying when I said distracting Sam."

"I do not think Sam is too bad to be honest Adastra." Selayla said from behind him.

"See, even Selayla thinks everything is ok. Anyway, what was it that you wished to speak about?"

"We all got to talk to Tahomi and Lastoma this morning Sam. Usarta was very kind to give us bandwidth to make it a video call as well."

"That sounds good Adastra. Were the two of them well?"

"Lastoma seemed to have taken the ordeal a little badly but Tahomi seems to be reasonably ok. They are both busy at the moment getting their pilots licences back after being added to the watch list."

"Is that a standard thing Adastra?"

"It is discretionary Sam but it is usually the case. What Tahomi and Lastoma, and the others probably experienced would be something that could impact their ability to fly, hence their pilots licences being revoked."

"I think I can understand why that would be the case." Sam quickly scanned over the console to see that nothing had gone amiss. "So how is your prospect of a ship progressing?"

"There is nothing new to say really Sam. Tahomi is to fly a second one however as the two of them seem to be coming to Illium to live."

"You will have another friend to torment then."

"I feel that she would be a bit nervous to begin with Sam as she was rather surprised that I was bondmates with Seliha."

"Well if it is going to be a while before she comes back then you may be able to think about having a water fight in the garden."

"I would rather not do that Sam."

"I am sure that Seliha would Adastra. Also if you wore something white and thin then you could sort of hide your markings a little. I admit it would not be much once the clothing is wet but it would be a way to introduce yourself so to speak." Adastra seemed to think about that suggestion.

"What do you mean by water fight Sam?" He heard from behind his seat.

"I mean trying to get each other as wet as possible Selayla. You can even make into somewhat of a team game if you wear inexpensive white clothing and put a dye in the water." Sam turned back to giving Adastra his attention. "I would also assume a shower afterwards could be a good way to warm up Adastra. You could even break out the purple shower gel again."

"Lastoma may secretly like that. I will think about that suggestion, I would however think quicker if you said that you would join in."

"If I am around then I will Adastra. When are you expecting them to arrive?"

"Tahomi said it would be about three weeks Sam." He nods. "How is your flying going?"

"I like class four ships more than class three as they seem to fly more like I would expect."

"You mean less agile?"

"I like that Adastra as it is much easier to predict what will happen. It also feels like you are flying something solid which makes me happier as well. I was talking to Mysampha earlier and it seems it is more of a preference as to how you process inputs as to what you prefer. I have no haptics and yet prefer to have some physical feedback so a slow response to input gives me that feeling. Mysampha is to change the flight controls of the lower classes to make flying easier for me later."

"I assume that sort of makes sense Sam. I am still not sure why you would not want haptics for flying as it makes things much easier."

"It is more of a principle Adastra. I do not want to come out here to suddenly gain the ability to feel holograms, see in the dark and change my hair colour to whatever colour I wish instantly. If I have a medical need for something then I will consider it but until that arises then I am staying away from medical procedures if I can."

"I can understand that position Sam. I should however get back to working as we only have a few more days of design left on this thruster before it can be sent for manufacturing."

"You will have to tell me what the test results are like when you get to play with it."

"I will Sam. I will leave you to continue your flying."

"Thank you. I hope to speak to you soon." Adastra nodded with a smile before disconnecting. "Now where were we?"

"We are still waiting for docking clearance unfortunately Sam. I may recommend that you re-contact Illium control as it may be that they have lost you in the system."

"That sounds about right Mysampha." Sam rolled his eyes before getting bored enough to consider doing what Mysampha had suggested.

* * *

><p><strong>Wednesday 1st March 2017<strong>

"Can I sit with Athya today?" Selayla asked as the five of them made their way to the simulators in Sentix Spaceworks.

"I need to ask, why do you like Athya so much Selayla? We have already said that she is too young for you." Yasmari said, a little fed up of not knowing why she seemed so lost. Selayla's face developed a lavender tinge as the other four all turned to look at her.

"I have been unable to stop fantasising about you Athya. I feel rather envious of you Sam, being able to sleep with such an individual must be wondrous." Sam laughed.

"I think you have a problem Selayla."

"I think you are right there Kalawa. My only concern is what kind of problem it will be." Sam looked to Amistathya who just had a quiet smile on her face. "Will you give any hints Ami?" She shook her head with the smile broadening as she did so.

"Selayla and I agreed that we could have a little silliness on Friday evening as it would be rather irresponsible of us to do so before then given we are covering for Hymara and Lianta."

"That makes sense Yasmari. Ami and I need to try our gift from Aphrina and Solpha at some time as well. Then we have the ship to wire and also all this flight practice. I really need more hours in a day to be honest."

"To be fair I could always do some wiring on the ship for you Sam while you and Athya do your flight practice." Sam thought about that for a moment or two.

"Would you be happy enough to do that Silana as it would be very helpful to me?"

"I would not have offered otherwise Sam."

"Ok Silana. I am sure that we can work out how to meet each other for getting back home this evening."

"I will wait in the development building just outside the corridor to the simulators Sam."

"Ok. I hope you have a good day Silana." She gave a nod and a smile before leaving the group to make her way to the SSPL-Rapture. "Would you be happy with Selayla sitting in with you today Ami?"

"I do not see why not. I am sure that Thyansa will have a laugh."

"I am sure that Selayla will likely have a better ride as well as either I am really rubbish..." The four of them walk around the corner to see Mysampha and Thyansa waiting for them outside the simulators. "...or some individual named Mysampha keeps giving me really bad ships or just hates me." Sam said knowing full well she could hear what was being said. "Good morning you two."

"I feel that most individuals would struggle to hate you Sam."

"You obviously have not met Liphanya then Mysampha."

"We have both met Liphanya and I doubt she is what Mysampha meant as most individuals Sam. I would however advise that we begin as soon as possible. Is that ok with you Athya?"

"It is." The six of them begin making their way down to their usual simulators. "Selayla is to be with us today Thyansa."

"It will be good to talk to you while Athya flies the ship Selayla." Selayla nodded, she just seemed happy enough to be sitting with Amistathya today. The group splits into two and they each go to their simulators.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Seliha walked into storage two with a little less tension in her body than she had yesterday. It was immediately obvious to her where Rythiva was as there was only one thruster in the storage bay which was in hundreds of parts, the plasma tube still hanging from the overhead crane. Seliha made her way behind the tube to see Rythiva sat on some tubing looking at a selection of parts in front of her.

"Good Morning." Seliha said making Rythiva jump a little as the words broke into her train of thought.

"The same to you as well Seliha. Do you feel happier than you did yesterday today?"

"I feel less anxious but I am nervous about getting something wrong to be honest."

"I would not worry about that Seliha as these all have to get retested anyway. If you would like, you could come around here to help me with this thruster if you wish." Seliha took a short run up before jumping and using her biotics to get over all of the parts that where laid on the floor. "I assume that you are aware that it is a little unnerving to see such biotic control for me."

"I apologise. I wanted to loose a bit of stress and doing something a little different usually helps. Would you still like me to help?"

"It would be nice." Seliha took a seat beside Rythiva. "I know one of these parts has a mechanical defect but since it is visually fine I have to methodically test everything."

"Do you know what I am to look for?"

"It will be one of these kind of valves and all of them are in crates in front of you. They may be different sizes but all of them are ovoid in shape with three wires. The item to your right is an external power supply which you can use to test the valves. You connect the two outermost wires first then connect the orange with the purple. You should be able to hear a quiet noise as the valve opens and the power each part should use should be listed on the blueprint. If it does make a noise and uses the correct amount of power then mark it with a marker and go onto the next one."

"Can the systems in the thruster not detect these defects?"

"It can detect valves which are stuck closed or stuck open. In the majority of cases this is the fault and it is simple to find. This one will be stuck in what the system thinks is the closed state but it will have an air leak. Either that or the electromagnetic control system has two shorts which is very, very rare. In either case the valve is likely to use approximately the same amount of power as normal but it will not make a noise and one end of the valve will become warmer than the other after a few minutes."

"How many are there to test?"

"I took seventy two valves off this particular three metre thruster. I have done eleven up to now as, as you can see, this one I have marked as twelve so that I know which order to put them back."

"Should I start with the higher numbered valves?"

"You may as well Seliha. They are in the green box over there and there are nine in each." said Rythiva who pointed towards a green box which was towards the back of the collection of boxes. Silana biotically lifted the box from where she was sitting and placed it down in front of herself before taking the first of the valves out of the crate and set about the task of testing it.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Seliha carefully made her way into the workroom that Adastra, Samalya and Thea used. Lots of half manufactured parts or test devices were spread around the floor, the larger ones in the middle of the room obscuring her view of the consoles at the back of the hall. She could however hear an ongoing discussion and so began to pick her way through the discarded parts to get to the individuals having the discussion.

"Hello Seliha." Thea happily greeted her arrival which took Adastra and Samalya's attention from the console.

"Did you have a good day with Rythiva Seliha?"

"I felt a little happier today."

"I am pleased to hear that it is getting easier Seliha. I assume you are not all that impressed with all the items in here?"

"It looks like storage two."

"I feel we should go and get some lunch Seliha. Would you two like to join us?"

"We will go later as it gets too busy earlier on, thank you for asking however."

"You are most welcome to join us whenever Samalya as I am sure we can find a larger table."

"I will be sure to do so when we have a little less work to do Adastra as it would be nice to talk with Kate again at least at some point."

"I would like that as well. I hope you have a good lunch however."

"I will Thea." Adastra said before putting her arm around Seliha to drag her in the direction of the skylounge. "I will definitely ask you to observe the testing of this proposed design Seliha as I feel that is something you like better than all of these parts."

"I like to see results and when I saw the last thruster it was quite impressive." Seliha stated as the two of them enter the lift to head up to the top of the engineering building.

"It could be a total failure Seliha. I guess that an explosion would be just as good to watch though." The two of them shared a smile before a short kiss as the lift continued to make its slow process skywards.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Amistathya, Sam, Selayla, Silana and Yasmari walk out of the lift to find an Armali box by their front door. "I see someone has a present." Sam commented getting a smile from the sky blue one.

"What is it Athya as it looks quite like a bioamp box." Yasmari asked as Amistathya collected it from the floor on the way into the apartment.

"I believe Ami said that it was a new dummy bioamp. You should at least show us all what the design is like." She placed it down on the table before carefully peeling the tape off the top to open the box. Inside was a transparent holder in a bag along with the bioamp itself. She lifted out the holder which got a little laugh from Sam.

"What was the laugh for Sam?"

"It is a transparent holder like Adastra and Seliha have Selayla. I quite like them but they are a little difficult to get on and off." Amistathya carefully pulled the bioamp from the protective packaging as she lifted it free of the box. A white bioamp with veins of a rich blue adding some much needed colour to the plain device.

"That looks nice Athya."

"Thank you Selayla. Do you like it Sam?"

"It is a bit of a surprise, I was half expecting some sky blue spirals on a blue colour or something similar. I think it will look nice with your transparent dress though."

"It is certainly different to bioamps."

"Adastra and Seliha have a little decoration on their bioamps Yasmari. I admit it is much more subtle than this design so it is not likely that you would confuse them both."

"I have not seen everyone else's bioamps Sam. Standard issue Republic's ones are black."

"Adastra's is blue with turquoise writing like her markings Yasmari. Seliha's has a slight spiral of purple to match up with the markings on her body. You could call both of the designs a little plain but they do not look too out of place on them both."

"Are you to try it on later Athya?"

"I will Silana."

"I believe it would be food first since it is rather late. At least tomorrow we could have a later start since it is only plumbing and wiring again."

"I like that idea Sam for a change." Sam gave Silana a nod while laying the table.

* * *

><p><strong>Thursday 2nd March 2017<strong>

"How far have you got with wiring things up then Silana?"

"I have got a bit done but it takes time and patience Sam." Sam nodded as the five of them entered the non-working airlock of the ship. Amistathya gave Selayla a surprise kiss in front of Sam, Silana and Yasmari before wandering off to the engineering area of the ship with a smile on her face. "Are you a little embarrassed there Selayla?"

"It was a surprise Sam." He shook his head with a smile before following the path Amistathya had just taken.

"I am going to sit in with Athya in the simulator tomorrow Selayla as you two are getting too close for a professional working relationship." Selayla reluctantly nodded but her mind was still miles away in the surprise moment.

"I think that could be a good idea Yasmari. I should however go to show Sam and Athya what I have done up to now. If you could bring some of the cables in the living area with you then it would be helpful."

"We will Silana."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Hello Fosanta. I hope you do not mind me having a short discussion with you?" Whesiva said with a cheery note as she walked through the open door of Fosanta's workroom.

"Of course Whesiva. What would you like to talk about this morning?" Fosanta said gesturing her new guest to take a seat on the chair opposite.

"I was interested in talking to you this morning about the planned trip to Thessia Fosanta. I would rather not have to be packing at the last possible moment."

"Well, I am aware that it is testing on the Saturday. If you wished then you could come back to the house with us afterwards. I am thinking that it could be early Sunday morning when we leave."

"I could do that Fosanta. Should I take anything specific with me? I am not sure what will be happening."

"I do not think we know for sure at the moment Whesiva. If you did forget to take something then I am sure that we could make an excuse to do some shopping in Serrice."

"I think I may be doing that anyway Fosanta as I quite like the choices available to me there."

"I think that Kate and I would likely have a day of shopping as well Whesiva so you could certainly join us if you wished."

"I may well do that. I have however heard from others that you are not going to be at work next week. Are you doing anything nice?"

"It is just going to be a break to the Citadel for Kate and myself. We have not really had any time alone together which I feel Kate wishes to have."

"I do hope that you both enjoy that Fosanta. I should however be getting back to work but I do feel happier now that I have some idea what is to happen and when."

"You will see me on the Saturday morning for bioamp testing Whesiva so we can go through all the plans and developments then."

"That would be good. I hope you have a good day." Whesiva said as she got up from her chair.

"I hope you do as well Whesiva." She gave a smile and a nod to Fosanta before leaving her to continue with her work.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Octus Ohara?" Isphara questioned as she approached the Turian in the waiting area.

"It is." He asked as he stood up from his seat.

"Welcome to Armali Illium. I am Isphara T'Fai. I believe that you met Kate on Tuesday."

"I did. No disrespect but she had no idea what I was wanting."

"Please follow me. I believe Kate was surprised at you turning up not just for verification but for a potential sales agreement as well. That would be why she has asked myself and Usarta who manages this facility to be with her today."

"Good morning Octus Ohara. My name is Usarta and I have heard plenty about you from your visit on Tuesday. I am hoping that we can arrange some kind of agreement between us before the end of the day."

"That will likely happen. I am most surprised that this could not be done through a secure video link to Armali, Thessia however."

"Armali operate this facility as a sub entity which gives us the freedom to produce propulsive devices as well as invest heavily in research and development. We have grown to become quite a sizeable facility and one that is becoming rather well known on Illium."

"And elsewhere as well it seems." Octus noted. "As you probably know, Ohara Space Industry supply a solid proportion of the hierarchy's civilian ships as well as propulsive products for their more military oriented vessels. The hierarchy would never entertain a non-Turian module onboard their military vessels. We were however hearing good things about your propulsive modules and would be interested in potentially licensing your technology for our civilian vessels."

"We unfortunately cannot begin licensing our current products Octus as that would introduce performance variation. We would however be more than happy to produce any of our range of products for you to fit into your ships."

"I understand that. I am to be honest here Miss and say that Ohara's business model is close to collapse. The Hierarchy are essentially paying us what we need to stay afloat for the ships we provide to them. That is a waste and other manufacturers could do the same work as we can for half the price. We were wanting to create new civilian ship designs with new propulsive products and remarket ourselves as a manufacturer of quality ships. If we cannot license the propulsive products then if would lead to a loss of thousands of Turian jobs."

"While Isphara is correct in that we do not license products that are already on the market we could provide you with designs for a new developmental plasma propulsion model." Octus seemed to suddenly perk up with that news.

"I am keen to hear any potential offer Usarta along with details on the design of course."

"Kate, could you go to my office and bring back the datapad that is on my desk?" She gave a nod to Usarta before leaving the room. "Octus Ohara, I currently have quite a lot of development, side projects and expansions to finance so I am debating my offer would be to you. Could I however ask what would be your average number of thrusters sold per year would be?"

"We currently manufacture ten thousand ships of various designs per year and I believe the average number of thrusters is about seventeen thousand."

"Ok, if you like the design then I will provide blueprints and all simulation and test data on the thruster designs for a hundred billion credits plus ten percent of the cost of each thruster sold. That agreement will last for ten years and also be applicable to any development upon the design as well."

"That is a very large amount just for small thrusters between one and three metres."

"I understand that Octus. We however cannot realistically have you labelling this design as ours unless you agree not to change it in any way."

"If you would be happy to license new designs regularly Usarta then I would happily get new licenses if it means less initial outlay."

"If you label the thrusters as an Ohara-Armali design, do not change it then I will offer the designs for twenty billion plus ten percent of each sale." Kate walked back in at that point with the datapad which she handed to Usarta before sitting down. This gave Octus time to think that offer through, running some calculations through his Omni-tool.

"If you could make it eight percent of each sale with a decal on each ship containing such a thruster, and I like the design, then we have a deal Usarta." Usarta thinks over that offer for a moment. It was less than she had hoped for but the regular income for no work would be highly beneficial to the facilities bottom line.

"I agree Octus. Please however use the Armali Illium logo from the Extranet for your decal and not the Armali Council one. It must also be visible from a docking port even if it is unobtrusive."

"Of course."

"Here are the designs for one, two, three, five, eight and twelve metre variants Octus." Usarta handed over the datapad.

"Interesting... I was rather expecting a design which would be difficult to use. We could just place a shelf above the thrusters for power conversion and everything would be fine."

"You sound surprised that we produce solid designs here at Armali Octus."

"I am Miss. This design will be very helpful for us to achieve our goals Usarta. I was thinking that twenty billion was a stretch but these designs look worthy of their cost, especially so since we do not have to have any electrolysis units."

"I felt the price was fair and we do have to pay for research and development costs somehow Octus."

"I understand that Usarta."

"I thought you may. I will ensure that Kate sends you all of that data plus some more that we have via a secure link as soon as the contract is signed and the contractual costs are covered."

"I will have to go back to Palaven and meet with the other company managers Usarta. If you would send the contract to me then as soon as an agreement has been reached in the managerial meeting you will get it sent back, signed along with the twenty billion."

"I will be awaiting your final decision Octus and ensure everything gets to you quickly."

"I thought you were fairly useless after Tuesday Kate but this meeting you have organised has been highly efficient. I must commend you for today. Usarta, it has been a very beneficial meeting and one which I hope happens again in the future."

"We will certainly try to be accommodating where we can Octus but a revised design to those will be a few years away."

"I am sure that these will give us an edge over the old declassified military designs for several years Usarta. I hope you all have a good day."

"We hope that you have a safe journey back to Palaven."

"I am sure that I will Isphara." The Turian noted before leaving the meeting room with a noticeably pleased expression on his face.

"Could I ask what that will bring to Armali Illium per year Usarta?"

"It works out at about one and a half billion credits per year Kate. I still feel that they got the thrusters inexpensively with that deal but we do not have to do any work on them. It is essentially a continuous stream of credits which is always helpful for various reasons. Anyway, I apologise for this meeting creeping into lunch time for you both."

"Well I probably will not get to meet the others given the time."

"You would be most welcome to sit with me if you wish Kate. I would enjoy having a little time to talk as I have not done so much up to now."

"I will do that Isphara." Kate said as the three of them left the meeting room.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Good afternoon you three." Usarta announced as she walked into the development room where Adastra, Thea and Samalya were.

"I assume you are not here to see how the thruster designs are coming along."

"That is not my primary intention Samalya but you can at least explain how everything is progressing."

"It is looking likely that we will have the large thruster design completed in two or three days Usarta."

"We are just having some minor issues with gas flow."

"I am sure that you can resolve that problem Thea. It is also good news that you should be completed a couple of days early. My reason that I am here is to speak to you Adastra."

"What about Usarta?"

"It is about the agreement that we made on Monday Adastra. The class three race in Nos Parnalo has been agreed for the twentieth and the twenty first of May. We therefore have released the funds for the testing ships to be built. It would be up to you three to design the thruster that you specifically would like Adastra. Tahomi would be allowed to make minor modifications to a standard part upon her arrival."

"I am sure the two ship designs would be different Usarta?"

"Yes and Sentix have a good test design for an ion thruster ship Samalya so Tahomi, the other pilot with Adastra will likely be pleased with it. I will provide you with plans for your design Adastra so that you can modify them before production begins."

"I hope Tahomi gets to do the same to her design Usarta."

"Unfortunately I cannot pass on the design until she arrives Adastra but the design is adapted to racing. The ship design from your ship will be transferred to Tahomi's Adastra as her ship is just a smaller scaled version of your hull for the most part. Sentix however are going to attempt to have both ships delivered by the end of March or the beginning of April."

"Do ships for racing have names Adastra?"

"Some have names and some do not Samalya. I would assume it would depend how long a hull generally lasts before being modified so much as to be unrecognisable as the original."

"We do not really have the facility to produce entire hulls, at least not quickly. A name would start ACTLV for Asari Class Three Light Vessel and would be designated numbers. I believe Sentix said it would be 372040 and 372041, unless you chose a name which was unique, which is highly likely with that designation."

"I feel I would need to have a think about a name Usarta and I will ask Tahomi if she has any preferences on names as well as it would be inappropriate for me to name her ship."

"I understand that Adastra. I feel that Sentix would like to know your name choice within two weeks, if that is manageable."

"I am sure I can have something for you by then Usarta."

"I am glad to hear that Adastra. I am also pleased that you all seem to be making good progress with the thruster." The three of them gave a nod to Usarta who did likewise before leaving them to continue their work.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Usarta confirmed I am to get a class three racing ship this afternoon." Adastra said to Kate and Fosanta as soon as they entered through the front door of the house.

"I am pleased to see that you are excited but could it not have waited a minute longer?" Fosanta said with a light smile.

"Not really."

"I would have liked to have said that Whesiva seems interested in a shopping day around the dinner table to be honest but since we are getting everything out in the open now I may as well do so as well."

"I would be up for that." Kate said with a smile. "I also had a meeting with Usarta this morning and we have licensed the technology of your new thrusters to a Turian ship manufacturer Adastra. A quick talk to Usarta this afternoon has lead me to believe that she is to ask you to scale the large thruster down to smaller sizes for the next version from Armali."

"Wait, so which version is going to be used for the event?" Kate shrugs. "That could mean quite a bit of work after our Thessian break then as I need one for my ship."

"Well at least you know what you have to do Adastra." She nodded in agreement to Kate. "Where is Seliha?"

"I am in here." The three of them hear from the kitchen.

"She is making dinner again, something to do with test engineers being stressful. I am at least grateful that she is actually trying to combat the problem now rather than bottling it up."

"I agree with you Adastra. Have you told Sam about your new ship yet?"

"I soon will have." Fosanta and Kate head into the kitchen after sharing a smile and shaking their heads while Adastra opened her Omni-tool to give Sam a call.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I am beginning to wonder if Adastra has accidently set her Omni-tool to call me when she leans on the interface." Sam commented to Amistathya who was also in the bedroom with him.

"You should at least answer her Sam." He nodded and did so as she cosied up to the side of Sam.

"I do apologise if I have disturbed you two."

"You have not Adastra. I was just admiring Ami's new dummy bioamp to be honest."

"Oh, you mean for your dresses Athya?" She nodded.

"You may as well show Adastra it Ami." She turned around to allow Adastra to see the bioamp through her transparent holder.

"It looks very pretty Athya. You should have placed some text on it however so that it would look like a proper bioamp."

"I doubt it would look as artistic then Adastra. So have you called at this time of the evening just to see Ami and I topless or do you have something else to say?"

"The race is to be on the twentieth and the twenty-first of May Sam which means I am definitely going to get a ship."

"Congratulations. Hello Seliha, how are you?"

"I am having a tricky week, it is better than last week however."

"That is good to hear Seliha as I doubt Armali want any more of their buildings destroying. I would assume that the good news that Adastra has got today is cheering you up a little as well."

"It is a little."

"How is your flying going?"

"We were wiring up the ship today Adastra but Mysampha wants me in tomorrow so that I am ready to take the class one and two simulation tests along with the class one competency test over the weekend."

"Are you the same as well Athya?"

"I am."

"Are you to be able to modify the design of your ship Adastra?"

"I can so I am going to take my time over balancing weight and still try to have something that I can use to travel to places in."

"I am sure that you know exactly what you want out of such a design."

"I am certainly going to try and get something I will be happy with Sam. Usarta said that it could be about the beginning of April before it is delivered."

"A month does not sound too long to wait."

"It is not. All I have to do is think of a suitable name now."

"If you would like a suggestion or two from me Adastra then I would have to get back to you, possibly on Saturday."

"I am sure that we will be able to think of something Sam but if not I will ask." Sam nods. "I think we should leave you both to get some sleep if you are to be learning to fly again tomorrow."

"I hope you both have a good night as well. I hope to see you both on Saturday."

"You should Sam." Sam gave a nod and Amistathya a light wave before Adastra disconnected.

* * *

><p><strong>Friday 3rd March 2017<strong>

"I only have one meeting today and it is the last day before a little break as well. It is just a pity that it is early."

"Please do not forget that I have to work tomorrow morning Kate."

"I am not forgetting Fosanta but it does mean that I can take my time over packing."

"I do not think we have decided what to do yet while you are both away. I think Seliha would appreciate something a little different."

"I think it would be better to decide a little nearer the time."

"It is not too long after that before we go to Thessia as well. Have you two booked your hotel yet?" Adastra and Seliha look to each other then smile.

"No. I know we should Kate but I doubt either of us will be too bothered as long as it is reasonably clean and has a bed in it. It was however fortunate for you that you got that free room."

"To be fair, I have not got what anyone could call a large amount of credits. If I can save something on a room then I think that can only be a good thing Adastra."

"I just wish I could have done that Kate. Anyway, I should be thinking of getting to Armali as Thea and Samalya will be waiting for me."

"I am ready when you are Adastra."

"Now would be good if that is the case Seliha." She stood up from the table. "I will talk to you both at lunch time."

"I hope you both have a good morning." Fosanta got two nods from the vacating Asari before they left the kitchen. "We should be leaving soon as well if you have an early appointment."

"I will not be long Fosanta. I just think the giddiness of this being the last day for a while is distracting me."

"I noticed that hence why I gave you a little reminder Kate." Fosanta said with a joking smile. Kate responded with an unimpressed look as she finished off her breakfast.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"While we are floating around somewhere in fake space I have something to discuss with you Selayla about this evening." Sam said as if an idea had just sprung into his head from the boredom of sitting around.

"What would that be Sam?"

"Do you feel that Yasmari would like to join in this evening or should I just get some drinks in? I am just thinking that Ami manipulating you to her whim will likely not leave much room for everyone else."

"Are you sure you should discuss this here Sam?"

"You sound like Hymara Selayla. I am sure that Mysampha is happy with me talking as long as I pay some attention to the simulator." She gave a nod of agreement. "See, the sexy voiced one agrees. So what do you think Selayla?"

"I feel that Yasmari would be happier with some honey mead as I don't think she really approves."

"As long as you have a bit of fun then I am not bothered and I feel that Yasamri will not be too bothered either. Perhaps she is more bothered about what Kalawa will say."

"You could be right but Kalawa knows me reasonably well so I think she will understand."

"I am glad to hear that." Sam said to Selayla before turning his attention back to the console. "How long is there until I can crash the ship again Mysampha?"

"Eleven minutes Sam. You do however fly the larger ships much better than in the smaller ones, and so I hope that you do not have any issues."

"I do try Mysampha and I do quite like these class four ships as they actually seem to have a feeling of inertia. The class threes seem a little twitchy for me as if I am flying a block of air or something."

"As Adastra said to you on Wednesday Sam, it is why most pilots use the haptic interface. You should however manage ok with the lower classes once you have some more practice."

"I am just hoping that it does not take me years and years to get a licence to fly my ship."

"If you come in for one day over the weekend I will set you the class one test which should allow you to complete those hours in a class one shuttle whenever you wish in the future as long as you continue training and flying."

"How long would it take to get to class two from that point?"

"It would probably be about another week like the current one Sam. If you did not have a holiday after that time then it may have been possible to get your class three simulation license by the end of the month."

"It sounds as if I may be lucky to get my license by the end of the year."

"I would not rush Sam as it is very much a skill that is best learned slowly. Taking one step at a time is the best option, just as we are doing now." Sam sighed with a nod before settling back down in front of the console, just waiting for the FTL timer to elapse.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"I assume you are looking forward to your visit to the Citadel." Adastra asked Kate after Fosanta and Seliha had finished their lunch and left the two of them alone at a table in the Skylounge.

"I definitely am Adastra as I feel as if I have been working here for many months now. A bit of a break should be good as I feel a need to see some of the galaxy since I have the chance." Kate looked out of the window at the slight haze that had descended over Nos Astra. "Have you got any plans for Seliha and yourself Adastra? I know you have both had a slightly difficult time lately."

"We unfortunately do not have next week off so there is nothing extravagant that we can do. I am sure that we can find something to do however."

"I am sure you can..." Kate seemed to have a think for a moment. "Have you had a talk to Tahomi about various plans yet?"

"I was thinking of giving her a call later this evening or perhaps tomorrow. It would be better if I actually had the design specifications of the ship but I assume I do not have them for a reason."

"I will have a talk to Usarta this afternoon to see if I can get you them."

"I would appreciate that Kate."

"That is no problem. I should however get back to work. I hope you have a good afternoon."

"You too." Adastra said with a smile as Kate departed the table.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam, Amistathya, Silana, Selayla and Yasmari arrive back at the apartment to find notification of a parcel having been left at security. "I do not think I was expecting a parcel."

"I am." Amistathya said with a smile.

"Could you go with Ami Silana to get it?" Silana nodded and the two of them made their way back into the lift, Amistathya having a slight spring to her step. "We should get some food sorted out and then settle in for the night."

"Do you have anything to watch Sam?"

"I have loads of things but they are not in Asari unfortunately Yasmari."

"I may well be too drunk to care so that sounds fine with me." Sam had to laugh at that comment has he put the crate of honey mead on the table.

"I would take a bottle of that out for yourself if you want some Sam."

"I am not too fond of it actually as I find it a touch too sweet. That said I am sure I can make do with it for this evening." Sam looked over his shoulder after the apartment door opened to see Amistathya walk in carrying a reasonably large box. "I seem to remember that company from those marker pens."

"I was thinking that as well Sam when we collected the box. I know what happened with the edible sand and the lubricant last time." Silana said as Amistathya carefully placed the box on the table before beginning to open it. "What have you got this time Athya?" She tipped the box upside down on the table before removing it to leave the box's contents in a fairly neat pile to dig through. Taking hold of a thin white box she removed it from the pile before holding it out to Sam.

"Is that for me Ami?" She nodded.

"I hope I can trust you with it." Sam took the nearly metre long box from Ami with a smile.

"I hope in that case that you do not use it then." Sam said with his tongue slightly in his cheek before he opened one end of the box with everyone else watching on. He looked into the open end to see a green thing which he gently coaxed out using his fingers revealing that it was a handle for a deep orange coloured cane. "I am not sure if this is a hint or just so that I can use the ruler as a ruler from now on. I do like the colour and the green soft silicone grip on the end though."

"Is that natural or artificial Sam?" Yasmari asked with a little curiosity.

"The wooden bit feels natural but I could be wrong."

"It is a sapling of an ochros tree Yasmari." Amistathya explained as Sam struggled to really give the cane a bend due to its reluctance to be flexed. "Do you like it Sam?"

"Errrm... I was expecting it to be somewhat more flexible to be entirely honest. It also feels somewhat wrong accepting such an item from an ex servant. That said it does look aesthetically pleasing."

"What else do you have Athya?" Silana asked.

"I got some purple and black rope as I liked the colour, a bath foam with a slightly fruity smell and a strap-on as I did not have one. I also got something else which I am not going to say anything about for the moment."

"Is this all for tonight Athya?"

"Not everything." Amistathya teasingly said to Selayla as if she was keeping future plans under wraps.

"I think that food is the first plan though Selayla." She nodded in agreement to Sam. "I must ask you Silana, how interested would you be to see what the sapling is like?"

"Errm." Silana seemed a little tentative to say yes with Yasmari and Selayla around given the slight purple tinge that had developed on her cheeks.

"I know Silana, I feel somewhat hesitant about it as well but if I know you well enough then I think you would enjoy it."

"Oh... I think I understand." Selayla said with a seemingly knowing smile.

"I do not fully understand yet Selayla but I am sure I will eventually. All I know is that Silana rather enjoys the bruising. I have a strange feeling that it could be a somewhat conditioned reaction but still."

"Situationally enhanced and not conditioned would probably be a better description Sam." Silana said as she was getting food from the kitchen cupboard. "I will offer ten and I trust you to know what I like afterwards."

"I will have a think about what should happen over dinner. Yasmari, I assume you just want to sit in front of a screen with your honey mead?"

"I am somewhat interested in just observing at first if that would be ok. I would like to make sure things are relatively reasonable before getting drunk."

"That sounds fair enough to me Yasmari. Could I ask why you were interested in the sapling earlier anyway?"

"Aumarva has a natural one about two thirds the length of yours Sam. I was just curious as most that I have seen have been manufactured."

"Aumarva has a sapling?" Selayla said with some surprise.

"I think you and Kalawa had gone for a shower or something when she brought it out one evening. It looked nice but it stung rather strongly and I have a greater fondness of loosing myself in my mind rather than in physical feelings. It is therefore not something I would particularly like."

"I am not sure whether to be surprised at Aumarva having one or not as she does seem the most rebellious of you eight."

"I feel that is a safe assumption Sam given she is the one with the biotic limiter."

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Kate, Fosanta, Adastra and Seliha were eating their evening meal at the dining table when a comment that Seliha made jogged a thought in her mind.

"Do you have any specific plans Fosanta as it would be nice to have an idea as to what I need to pack?"

"I was just planning to have a look around really Kate. It would of course be nice to have a good meal somewhere while we are there as well. The hotel is already booked so do not worry about that."

"Actually... That has just reminded me that I should try and find somewhere for us to stay next week when we go to Thessia." Adastra noted as if it was another job to add to the to-do list.

"Maybe Seliha could help you with that Adastra?"

"I probably will as she will be stuck talking to Tahomi about the ship all weekend."

"I forgot to mention earlier Adastra. Sentix are to send the design files to Armali today, they may already have done so. Usarta said that she would arrange to have them placed in an area you can access on the Armali servers as soon as possible afterwards."

"I will have a look using one of the consoles upstairs shortly before having a talk to Tahomi. What are you two planning to do this evening?"

"Well a reasonably quiet night and a bit of packing sounds like a plan, at least for me." Kate said to Adastra before she looked towards Fosanta who was to her right.

"I think I will be somewhat similar as I do not have as much time tomorrow to get everything sorted out." Adastra nodded before looking to her right to see Seliha getting up to move her empty plate away.

"That was quick, were you hungry?"

"I guess I was just getting somewhat bored." Seliha said frankly before walking off into the kitchen.

"I think she has not had the best of days today." Adastra said quietly to Kate and Fosanta. "I am sure next week will be somewhat different for her which I hope is something good."

"I think as long as the house is still left standing when we get back then I feel Kate and I will not be too bothered as to what you do."

"I was not planning on destroying anything Fosanta. Anyway, I will leave you two to finish your food in peace while I have a look to see if those designs have arrived." Adastra got a nod from the two other occupants of the table before taking her empty plate into the kitchen.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Amistathya and Selayla had gone up to the bathroom with a couple of items leaving Sam, Silana and Yasmari downstairs. "Would you mind doing so here Silana between the sitting area and the kitchen as there is quite a bit of free space and no walls or ceilings to worry about?"

"I will be where you want me to be Sam. I am however a little nervous now."

"Is it an exciting nervous or a scared nervous Silana? Do remember that you are free to say softly if you wish or even to not continue. I do not want you to be unhappy about this."

"Can I say both Sam? I am a little scared about what you may do but excited at the prospect."

"I would just like you to kneel down for the moment Silana." She did as Sam asked before he collected two pieces of rope and a white ball gag from the kitchen table. He then went to kneel down beside her. "I am sure you understand why I would prefer you to be gagged and restrained a little Silana. All I would like you to do is once you are gagged is to touch the bottom of your feet with your fingers." She gave a nod along with a slight smile before opening her mouth for the gag. Sam noticed out of the corner of his eye Yasmari intently watching on over the back of the sofa. "Are you so interested for a particular reason Yasmari?"

"Call it entertainment while I drink." Yasmari said with a smile, her second large glass of honey mead in hand. "I am somewhat curious as to how much it will hurt though."

"I would guess quite a bit Yasmari." Sam replied as he continued tying Silana's wrists to her ankles so that her arse was in the air. Once done he moved around Silana who had decided to place the right side of her face on the floor. "Are you ok to do this?" She managed a small nod which comforted Sam enough to stand and pick up the barked ochros sapling from the kitchen table. He swished it through the air a few times, turning it slightly before hearing a noise on the balcony behind him. He turned around to see Amistathya stood there. "I half assumed you would not miss out Ami. Where is Selayla?"

"In the bathroom hopefully behaving herself Sam." Sam shook his head a little before taking a breath to settle himself. He walked forward a little to Silana before lining up the first shot. A whistle followed by a crack and a groan occurred moments later, Silana tensed up with the pain as it flowed from the deepening purple mark all over her body. Over the period of nine more hits the physical tension in Silana's body seemed to grow given her toes were curling and her back arching more and more. A puddle of drool and tears leaked out of Silana's slightly purple face and onto the floor. Her backside at the end of a minute had ten purple and swelling lines, although they were not all parallel or even between both cheeks as Sam was not that experienced. He did however put the sapling on the floor immediately after the last stroke to give Silana a bit of a hug.

"I will remove the rope and the gag Silana. Could you kindly not touch your backside for me?" He gave her folds a stroke as he got a nod in response. Sam therefore quickly untied Silana before helping her get up onto her knees and removing her gag. "Do you need a break Silana just to calm a little?"

"That would be appreciated if I can." Silana asked softly as she wiped away the tears from her face.

"Of course Silana." Sam said as he helped her to stand.

"How badly does it hurt Silana as it seemed and sounded painful?"

"It is not particularly the sharp impact that hurts Yasmari but it feels as if it has been heated in a fire before being used. I would have really liked to have sat in some cold water about now."

"In that case Silana I have a proposal. Do you think you can lie on the kitchen worktop with your backside over the sink?" Silana nodded before walking over and climbed up onto the worktop. She laid down being careful of her new bruising before propping herself up on her elbows. "Would you be interested in joining in Yasmari?" Sam asked as he was running cold water into the sink between Silana's legs.

"I will resist Sam."

"So what you are saying is that you are somewhat horny but are deliberately trying to be responsible?" Sam said in a joking manner as he turned off the tap.

"The situation is not quite right." Sam laughed as he jumped onto the worktop and sat down next to the sink opposite Silana.

"What you mean is you like being the centre of attention when drunk."

"Not just when I am drunk, although that helps." Sam sighs with a smile before turning his attention to Silana. "Do you still feel very sore as the marks do look somewhat swollen?"

"Yes. I assume that it feels how you imagine it does given how you describe it Sam." He dipped his finger into the cold water before running it over her left butt cheek, and several of the marks, getting a long breath out in response.

"That sounds like a good feeling." Sam got a handful of the cold water and gently slapped it into her bruised backside causing her to jump a little and gently bite her tongue as she moaned. Sam grabbed her legs and moved her a little further over the sink. He got down from the counter top before moving the tap so that the stream of water would hit her sensitive lips. He then turned the cold water back on making Silana baulk a little at the chill. "I know it is cold Silana but I am trying to cool the bits that are burning." Silana took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Look at me Silana." She did so, her eyes almost aching with her need for a little more, yet also still glassy from the tears. Sam began to stroke the back of her neck with his fingers which caused a little extra tension to build into her body. "Do not close your eyes yet Silana." She nodded a little as if in apology. Sam put his left hand between Silana's legs to splash a little of the cold stream of water across her bruising. A slight whimper escaped Silana's mouth as Sam lightly brushed his hand against her cold and wet folds between her legs. He moved slowly to give Silana a kiss and as he did he began rubbing the icy mountains in the stream of water. Her breathing immediately began to quicken and he could feel Silana's body tensing up and her back arching as he continued. She tried moving her head but Sam grabbed the back of her head at the same time as he began squeezing her dark blue mound hard in his left hand. Silana stopped breathing and went rigid at that moment before her arms collapsed from underneath her leaving her to rely on the comfort of Sam's right arm for support. Her breathing returned but continued to be intermittent and ragged for several further seconds before her body relaxed causing her to skate along the smooth countertop into the sink with a thud. Sam immediately turned the tap off with his left hand while still propping her limp body up with his right. "Are you ok Silana as it looks a little uncomfortable in the sink?" She closed her eyes and just nodded a little. He took it as a good sign given she seemed a little vacant just at that moment.

"I am confused Sam as to how you got such a reaction?"

"I am going to be mean and say that you should have joined in then you could have found out yourself." Yasmari shuffled around a little uncomfortably on the sofa at that thought. Sam rubbed Silana's warm back to help bring her back to the land of the living. She opened her eyes and a warm but relaxed expression descended over her face. "Are you ok to get up now before you become stiff with sitting in the sink?"

"Yes." Sam let her move her legs around to hang off the edge of the counter top before putting his hands around her waist to help her to pull herself out of the sink and onto the kitchen floor. "Thank you Sam."

"It is honestly no problem Silana." Silana smiled to Sam before carefully making her way to get a towel to dry herself. "Right. Honey mead and film time I think as I need to relax a little." Sam took a glass from the cupboard and began making his way to the room with his computer in. He turned around just before entering to see Yasmari not far behind carrying the crate of honey mead with the nearly finished glass still in her left hand.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

"Hello Adastra." A slightly patchy sounding Tahomi said upon answering her call.

"I was somewhat unsure how good the quality would be and also what time it was there but it seems reasonable."

"It is early afternoon here. Lastoma is currently in a simulator so she is not around to talk unfortunately."

"That is fine... Could I ask really what happened to you two though Tahomi as you seemed somewhat bothered about bring it up in front of her on Tuesday?"

"I will say when we finally get to meet Adastra. That said Lastoma really does not like flying in shuttles at the moment, it makes her very nervous."

"Do you feel the same?"

"I guess that is your bondmate, Seliha Adastra?"

"It was Tahomi but it would be good to know if you are going to struggle with flying this ship."

"I know it was a rare incident and unlikely to ever happen again but there is still some residual nervousness there. I feel I can still fly a ship though and I am hoping that doing so will help me get over this." Neither Adastra nor Seliha could really think of any way to progress the topic further so a short lull ensued. "Is this what you called me about or did you want to say anything else Adastra?"

"Sorry. I just wanted to honestly know if you were both ok before moving on to other things. I have just got hold of the designs for the ships and while I think they could be a little behind the best for racing, they should be good platforms to build upon."

"Well, I would not have been expecting a cutting edge design just for some propulsion testing anyway Adastra so that does not really bother me."

"What may interest you though is that you get the chance to name the ship if you wish to."

"Oooh." There was a bit of quiet on the line as Adastra knew exactly what was happening. "There are just so many possibilities... How can I choose just one?"

"I was having the same thoughts this afternoon. I was thinking that a deep purple, pearlescent paint would be a good choice for the ship but I have no ideas on a name."

"I will have to ask Lastoma later if she has any ideas. Do you have anyone you can ask?"

"I could possibly ask Kate or Sam as their language probably has lots of nice words which would be appropriate in meaning."

"I really need to meet you all at some point as it sounds as if lots of things have changed. We have been told that we should have finished everything here by the end of March. I believe the first couple of days in April are a weekend so perhaps we could get to meet up somewhere at that point?"

"I will have to have another talk, possibly after the weekend on when we could meet up Tahomi as we have agreed to help with an event that is to be in a couple of months."

"An event for what Adastra and where would it be?"

"It is a charity event for Galactic Acceptance and I think the plan is for it to be at Sentix Spaceworks here on Illium."

"Well that sounds like a worthwhile thing to be doing. You will have to explain to me what it is you are helping with another time though as I unfortunately need to be somewhere in a short while."

"I will do that Tahomi, possibly when I know roughly what the plans are for the end of March."

"I look forward to hearing from you. I actually really want to meet you all now but that is not going to happen."

"Sam gave me an idea on what we could do when we get to meet. It is somewhat, unconventional but it should be fun."

"You were always one for making me agree to silly ideas Adastra so I doubt that will be a problem. I should however be going though. I hope that you and your bondmate have a good weekend."

"I am sure we will." Adastra said with a smile to Silana. "I hope you and Lastoma also have a good weekend and I hope to call you soon with more information."

"Thank you. Goodbye Adastra."

"Bye Tahomi." Adastra sees the connection drop on the screen.

"What idea did Sam give you?" Silana said, seemingly more curious than upset that Adastra had not mentioned anything.

"He said on Tuesday that I could maybe consider a water fight to introduce myself to Tahomi and Lastoma. He said that thin white clothing would become more transparent when wet."

"I have been somewhat annoyed lately that you feel such a need to keep yourself hidden. I would quite like to really put on a short dress and just feel happy to be who I am. I would rather be beside an individual who thinks likewise however."

"I apologise Seliha. I am making progress but I feel if I am pushed and I get negativity then it could cause everything to collapse back to how I was only a few months ago. If I can see that generally I get positivity then I can treat any negativity as something uncommon and somewhat dismiss it. I hope you understand that."

"One part of me would like nothing more than finding some drug which would make you placid, placing a collar around your neck and then leading you, naked, through Nos Astra for a night in the club."

"I admit that that idea is somewhat frightening for me, and yet somewhat erotic Seliha. I do however hope that you can listen to your kinder side and not do that."

"How about wearing a t-shirt when Sam and the others come around tomorrow evening then? All the commandos have seen Athya so why not you." Adastra sighs a little.

"I will do it just this once for you Seliha. Athya seems to have an appreciation for her body that I do not. I am aware that I am somewhat of a contradiction in that I like being the attention seeking one and yet I like staying hidden as well."

"I hid my personality from people as I know individuals do not understand. I could not contain it after melding with Sam and I felt betrayed by myself. You have the decision I could never have of choosing how and when to reveal yourself, I am sorry for trying to take it away from you." Adastra brought Seliha into a tight embrace.

"I know you struggle to control an impulsiveness Seliha but I have to say that it is wonderful to hear you compromising and also apologising. I hope you do not hate me for asking this but would you be willing to go back to see Doctor Lamisa next week?" Adastra looked into Seliha's eyes and saw both an anger and a softness looking back. "All I am trying to do is help you Seliha and you can consider yourself trying to help me with my insecurities as well." Adastra saw the anger subside just before Seliha decided to kiss her. Adastra could only smile to herself inside knowing that she was beginning to understand her bondmate.

/V\/V\/V\/V\/V\

Sam exits the computer room to hear someone in the kitchen area. Silana and Yasmari follow Sam, Yasmari looking somewhat on edge and also naked. Sam quickly saw a gagged Selayla tied to a chair with Amistathya sitting on one opposite her. "Interrogation training Ami?" She looked up and smiled.

"I am just being somewhat difficult Sam." She said with some glee.

"At least you admitted it today. Anyway, I feel lightheaded from the mead so I am just going to have a shower and go to bed."

"Can I join you?" Sam heard from behind him.

"Would you be fine with me fucking Yasmari Ami? I have been teasing her somewhat all evening. I would have said Silana but the bruises could make it somewhat unwanted."

"You can have me in a minute if you would like that." Sam nodded with a smile and Amistathya placed the metal vibrator against Selayla's swollen azure. This caused an instant sound of pain as she shook her head and tried to move against her binds to get away. "All you have to do is orgasm for me Selayla. I will make it easy for you." Amistathya changed a setting on the vibrator with her thumb which instantly made Selayla squeak before beginning to moan and take shorter breaths. Her watery eyes began to glaze over as her breathing began to become ragged and her straining against her bonds just managed to lift her bum from the seat. Her skin seemed to be gradually trending towards a glossier, purpler colour just before she threw her head back. A few seconds and a couple of long moans later she gave up fighting against her bonds and slumped back in the seat. "Thank you for that Selayla." Amistathya took the metal tormentor away and turned it off before removing her gag. "If you help me untie her then we can get upstairs faster Sam." Sam and Silana began to help only for a low moan from behind them to get their attention. The two of them turn around to see Yasmari fucking herself with her fingers, slumped on a chair and propped up somewhat by the table. She either did not care that everyone except Amistathya was looking or she was too far in her own world to realise.

"It seems Selayla is going to have some bruising where the ropes were." Silana said bringing Sam's attention back to the job at hand. "I will leave you two to have a shower together and I will have one in the morning."

"Actually I would quite like your help with something Silana so do join us." Amistathya seemed a little puzzled by this but didn't seem against the plan. "I think you two need to get some sleep." Sam said to the two recovering Asari.

"I need it." Was all Selayla managed to say before unsteadily getting to her feet.

"Selayla, Yasmari, you two should get cleaned up in the bathroom before we need it."

"I am going..." said Yasmari who approached Selayla before the two of them put their arms over each others shoulders and began to make their way upstairs.

"So what was that vibrator Ami as it seemed to be quite a lot for Selayla to take?"

"It uses electrical as well as mechanical stimulation and it is quite easy to use the electricity to make an orgasm difficult to achieve."

"How do you know these things Athya?"

"I let Selayla try it on me in the bathroom Silana. I only got it because of it producing a different experience not because it can easily torment others."

"That is obviously not true as you know exactly what you are doing Ami." She only smiled in response.

"What did you want to invite me to the bathroom for Sam? I am somewhat curious."

"Well Ami and I have some simulation tests tomorrow. I was wondering if it would be possible to get some information from someone who is experienced."

"The licenses are time based and you will learn what you need within that time Sam. I personally would prefer not to try and give information to you in a meld given how your mind looked and felt last time."

"That is annoying." Sam sighs. "Still, you can join in if you wish."

"If it would be ok with you, I would prefer if I waited until the morning as my backside is a little tender."

"Ok. I think we should make our way upstairs and leave this mess for tomorrow." Sam got a couple of nods of agreement and so the three of them began to make their way upstairs.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes.<strong>

**Yes I am not padding out the full explanation of what happened at the end of this chapter as it has taken much too long to get it written and it is already very lengthy. I will fill in any important details in the next/later chapters with what happened.**

**Yes there is not too much in this chapter about Kate and Fosanta but the next few chapters will have plenty of content with them in :)**

**I must however give my apologies to all you in readerland for this extremely late update (over 1 year IIRC). Personal and family issues have taken care of the last several months for me and so it has been difficult to produce this chapter in a reasonable amount of time. Chapter 60 will likely take a bit of time as well but I will try to keep it as short as possible. Yes things are still getting written, it is just that things are much slower than they used to be.**

**Anyway, thank you all for reading and if you could spare a moment to review this chapter I would be very appreciative of your time.**


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